Burnt Flesh
by Cyther
Summary: About betrayal, forgiveness and the sometimes cruel games of fate. Dramione.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter I

It was a rare thing for Hermione to get a lunch break. The Goblins at Gringotts did not believe in eating apparently. She would nibble on a sandwich as she worked and arrive home when Ron was already asleep. She missed spending the evenings with him. It had been a long time since she had any energy left at the end of the day for anything other than a dinner and the commute from the kitchen to the bedroom.

She missed him. Missed talking with him hours after hours about absolutely everything, and nothing at all. She missed her time with him. She loved her job, she just wished it wasn't as time consuming as it was.

But today she did get a lunch break, or better, she took it. Even if for an hour it would be worth it.

She gathered her things almost ran to the Floo and had to stop a minute to catch her breath, before risking saying her address.

"Paddington Drive, 14"

She stepped into their hallway, and cast a Muffliato on herself. She walked to the kitchen, but he wasn't there. There were the remains of a pizza takeaway on the kitchen table.

Ron never had any muggle money. She was the one who had change from time to time. Maybe he had found some that she had forgotten lying about somewhere in the house.

She placed her bag on the chair still eying the empty pizza box.

A thud disturbed the quiet. She looked down, her bag had fallen on the floor and another stood in its place. It was a pink back-pack with the face of an owl on it. Its zip stood open with its contents in plain sight.

Her heart-beat was deafening every other sound. She reached inside the stranger's bag and fished a walled out of it. It was lime green and lacquered. She knew it was wrong, but in that moment she did not care about wrong or right.

She opened it. A muggle driving license was the first thing she saw. On it was the picture of a pretty platinum blonde with full lips, and feline eyes.

Perry Watson.

Hermione was now shaking.

She place the wallet back, retrieved her bag from the floor and went to the floo. There she paused, with ash in her hand. She stood listening for any sound, any sound at all.

The ringing of a female laugh, clear as bells even through the walls, set her going.

Hermione woke up on the couch, her back aching a bit. She got dressed, made herself breakfast and sat down to wait for Ron to wake up.

He emerged from the bedroom few minutes after she had finished eating and sat down in front of her, mumbling 'good morning' and yawning every two seconds. She got up, placed her cup and her plate into the sink, carefully washing them. She dried her hands and turned towards him. He was watching her through heavy eyes, but his expression told her he had no idea.

No remorse, no sense of guilt, no intention of saying anything out of the ordinary.

"What's for breakfast?"

She wanted to scream. How is he the same man she fell in love with?

She took her bag, her coat, with calm and deliberation and pocketing her wand she turned towards the floo, not once glancing at him.

"Hermione? Where are you going?"

"I know about Perry Watson, Ron."

She did not turn to see his expression, nor did she let him see hers, and as she flew away, he said nothing.

She had not told Harry, or Ginny, or anyone.

Ron had sent her letters, had come to look for her at Gringotts but she had refused to see him. She had to figure out where to stay the night and when to go and get her things. But before that, she had to figure out how to get her heart to stop from hurting without having to cut her chest open and take it out.

She wanted to know nothing of him, nor see him, nor hear of him. So she had every plan to keep avoiding him, as long as she could.

She kept ignoring the growing pile of letters that Piggy kept dropping on her desk, avoiding even the contact with them. And as the day ended and everyone left she kept working.

At ten o'clock, when the owls stopped coming she left the office. She thought that she might as well get used to feeling betrayed and lonely independently from how hard it was to accept it.

She made her way to a small hotel in East London and as soon as she closed the room's door she started crying.

Harry came to her office the next day. She saw the relief in his eyes when she saw her.

"Let's go for lunch, Mione."

She thought about refusing, but something in his eyes told her it was pointless. She had to speak to Harry.

He bought them two cups of coffee and sandwiches from a near coffee shop and they sat down on a bench in a muggle park. Hermione waited for the questions to start but they never came. Instead he told her to eat. Once they had finished he enclosed her in a tight hug.

"I'm sorry, Mione, I wish I could do something. Just know that I'm here if you need anything."

She held her tears for as long as she could but before she knew it, she was sobbing.

Hermione stayed a week in that hotel as Harry helped her find an apartment and connect her to the floo network. Ginny had gathered all her things from the apartment she had shared with Ron and had brought them in neatly piled and categorized boxes to her new one bedroom apartment.

The walls had been painted light gray and the fireplace had a marble mantel she couldn't bring herself to appreciate. The apartment came with a bed, a sofa and a kitchen and she thought how utterly unnecessary would be to buy anything else.

Hermione hated herself for noticing when the letters stopped. She hated that he gave up. It hurt, and she hated that it did.

She had been in love with him most of her life. She had grown up with him, every new experience she had had, had been shared with him.

But he had chosen otherwise. She was not enough anymore. And she didn't know whether it was because she was always absent or because someone else gave him something she couldn't. What she knew, was that betrayal hurt.

Harry came to her office one morning, two cups of hot chocolate in hand and sat down with an easy smile in the chair in front of her desk.

She did not realise it, but ten minutes into the conversation Harry had spoken most of the time, she had listened not interrupted and had nodded from time to time. She found that she no reply to wherever he had said. Somehow, he had even managed to get a smile out of her, and she felt the weight on her chest lift up a little. Air filled her lungs a little more fully now. She had forgotten what breathing easily felt like.

"I need your help," Harry said after a pause.

"Help with what?"

"It might take away from your time here at work but if you're up to it I'd like to ask you to do some extra."

Hermione waited for him to continue, but he just looked at her.

"And…? What do you want me to help you with?"

"Do you accept?"

"You won't tell me before I do?"

He shook his head.

"You should know better than that, Harry. Of course I'll help you."

He smiled and threw his empty cup into her bin. "What time to you finish work?"

"Six."

"Ok, see you then," he said standing up and starting for the door.

"Really? This all you're going to tell me?"

He shrugged as he went and turned to give her one last smirk before disappearing at the door. Hermione shook her head and smiled a little.

Harry was waiting for her outside her office at six o'clock sharp.

"Fancy a trip down memory lane?"

"What do you mean?"

Harry led her out of the Ministry not saying a word. She hated secrets.

Harry walked to an alley near the entrance of the Ministry and said, "Apparate to the Three Broomsticks."

His crack was quickly followed by hers and in a matter of moments she landed in front of the pub's front door. It was ajar and Harry was already making his way inside, his black cloak disappearing into the dim light. She followed suit, spotting his hair going up the stairs.

She caught a glance of the room, and as brief as the glimpse she saw was so was the feeling of nostalgia she felt.

She missed Hogwarts, but Hogwarts meant Ron, and that was the last place she wanted her thoughts to go.

Harry was waiting for her at the top of the steep stair, his face was grave now.

"Before we enter, know that you can still refuse."

Taken aback, she looked confused at him. "I'll help you Harry."

He hesitated before nodding and opened the door to one of the rooms, and inviting her inside. Harry closed the door as soon as she crossed the threshold and cast a Muffliato as he did.

"So what's this about?"

"Sit down, Mione, it's a long talk."

She sat on the sofa and waited.

He took a deep breath, before talking.

"A month ago there has been an attack on a muggle family. More specifically, a muggle family that had wizards as children. Thankfully the kids were at Hogwarts, so none had been affected. We haven't told them what happened yet. We hope we can cure them before Christmas but we don't know what has been done to them. Someone used a curse so powerful and unknown, no one seems to know what it came from if there is a cure or if they're hopeless and will stay the way they are forever."

Hermione let herself fall against the soft cushions not feeling any comfort at all.

"We don't know if it's an isolated incident and muggle families are not targeted at all, but it's possible that there will be more."

"What do you need me to do?"

"What you're really good at—research." Harry sat down beside her and spoke softly. "I and very few others know about this, we're trying to keep it a secret before panic spreads again or, even worse, those who feel the same way will feel like they can do the same.

"They're now on the Fifth Floor at Hogwarts, Madame Pompfrey, McGonagall, Neville and Malfoy are taking care of them now until they can find a counter-curse."

Hermione nodded before stopping. "Malfoy?"

He smiled guiltily and looked away. "Sorry, I forgot to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"He's the new potion teacher."

"What?"

"And he's also a warewolf."

"What?"

"And he's kind of cool now."

"What?"

In that moment there was a knock on the door.

"And you'll be working with him and Neville." Harry stood up to open the door. "Trust me on this, Mione."

She bit her tongue and waited.

When Harry opened the door, Hermione saw the top of a blonde head and took a deep breath.

"Potter," said Malfoy as Harry stepped aside to let him enter.

His gray eyes settled on her and she felt a feeling of unease overcome her. This was not the Draco Malfoy she knew. His eyes, cold and alert were watching her, and she knew he was studying every detail he could lay eyes on. He had a scar running down his cheek from his lower eyelid to the collar of his robe. He offered her his hand and she shook it, giving him a curt nod, remaining seated.

"Granger," he nodded and remained standing by the hearth.

Harry left no room for awkward silences. "I already told her the generalities."

"Does she know she'll have to work with me?"

"Yes, she does."

Malfoy nodded and kept on studying her. She had never found it difficult to maintain eye contact. But now, she felt unable to.

"Did you bring the material I asked you to?"

Malfoy nodded and reached inside his cloak for a scroll. "These are the symptoms, the observations we have made so far and all the cures we have tried and what results we have gotten. Tomorrow you'll see them and come to your own conclusions."

Hermione nodded and placed the scroll in her lap, intending to give it her whole attention once she got home.

Malfoy moved his eyes away from her and focused it on the window and she couldn't help but feel relieved.

"You will be able to access the Hogwarts library, but only after curfew. You'll enter and exit the castle through McGonagall's floo. Never come here directly from Hogwarts."

"I understand."

"If necessary, you'll also have to prepare the potions they need, to stop the curse's effect and relieve their pain."

"I have questions," said Hermione.

"Of course you do," Malfoy muttered, a little amused. She shot him a look and returned to looking at Harry, who was still at the door, his arms crossed on his chest.

"How many are there?"

"Two," answered Harry. "The mother and the father."

"Are they conscious?"

"Yes, they can speak, and move," said Malfoy, now moving to the window. "The problem is that if they do, they're in unimaginable pain."

Hermione nodded, and started thinking.

"We'll meet tomorrow too, you need to see them and start whatever research you'll be doing." He quickly move to the door and stopped with his hand on the knob. "Until tomorrow."

He waited for no reply as Harry nodded his way and Hermione was staring daggers at his back.

"Why didn't Neville come?"

Harry laughed. "He has classes, McGonagall too."

"You can stay here, 'Mione, but I have to go. When you leave, be sure to touch the knob on both sides of the door."

"Good night, Harry."

"Good night, 'Mione."

She saw him hesitate; open his mouth to ask something, but changed his mind at the last minute and left.

Hermione stayed until ten, making her way through the information Malfoy had provided her.

That night, she did not cry.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter II

When she entered the room, it was empty, so she sat down, took out the notes she had made and placed them neatly on the coffee table. After going through them one last time, she stood up and started pacing the room, absent-mindedly touching something here and there. She finally stopped in front of the window, looking at the street she knew too well thinking how much had changed since then. Wind was blowing orange and yellow leaves away from the bearing tree branches. She had forgotten how beautiful autumn was.

She did not hear the door open, and Malfoy enter. Nor did she her when he started going through her notes.

"Two of them can be ruled out immediately," he said and she turned, startled, pointing her want at him.

"How familiar," he scoffed and turned again to the parchment.

She lowered her wand and gave him a sour look. "Why?"

"You have to see them, to understand."

"And when do I see them?"

"Now," he said and pocketing her writings he moved for the door.

Annoyed, she hurried to grab her bag, touched the knob from the inside and the outside and followed him outside the Three Broomsticks.

He did not wait for her, nor did he turn to see if she was following him. He walked with ease and calm and she still couldn't catch up with him. And she'd be damned if she started running. He did not stop until he was at Hogwarts gates.

"You could wait, you know," she said, affronted.

"You could walk faster, you know."

She huffed and continued on.

"You could try to make it at least tolerable for the both of us, Malfoy."

"And why would I do that Granger?"

"Politeness."

He scoffed, and said nothing. Now she was being ridiculed so she kept quiet. She mentally scoffed back. Harry should've been more specific, because it seemed as if nothing about Malfoy had really changed since school.

How fitting, she thought, Hogwarts was still warm and welcoming and Malfoy was still the entitled brat she had always known.

McGonagall was in her office, talking to Madame Pompfrey when they entered. She stood up and gave Hermione a warm smile. "Miss Granger."

"Hello, professor."

Hermione saw Malfoy give her notes to Madame Pompfrey before turning for the stairs.

"Thank you for helping us, Miss Granger," the mediwitch said smiling.

"I hope I can."

"Come, I'll take you to the fifth floor," said McGonagall. Hermione followed her throught the castle's corridors and stairs, realizing that some parts of it were new, and some of them had not been rebuilt yet.

Something else came to mind as she walked on those plated floors. Every part of the castle held memories of her, Harry and Ron.

McGonagall smiled when she saw Hermione looking around. "They certainly hold a lot history, these walls."

Hermione nodded and looked ahead.

The fifth floor was now being guarded by Filch who sneered at her as she passed. She gave him a curt nod and kept going, following the Headmaster ahead.

McGonagall took out a key from her pocket and opened the door that used to hide the three-headed dog.

Hermione took a deep breath before entering. At the end of the room two beds were placed against the wall. At first, the only saw white sheets, but as she got closer she saw the top of someone's head covered in black hair.

Malfoy entered the room after them, making his way passed them and placing three phials of potions on a cabinet near the window.

McGonagall went after him leaving Hermione free to approach the two sleeping figures at her leisure.

She cleared her throat and remembered what information Malfoy had given her.

They had severe burns that did not come from Fiendfyre. The flesh was not exactly burned but carbonized. The curse had also affected internal organs and muscles.

It was slowly burning them alive. They kept the skin hydrated with the anti-burn lotion, but it was doing very little if nothing good. As she took steps forward she started to see that the black she saw lying against the cushion were not hair. Her heart started beating when she realized that they had no hair to begin with.

Her eyes jerked from one bed to the other taking in as much as she could. Their scalp was bare and black, their skin wrinkled and dry, resembling more rock than human flesh. Their features were undistinguishable. She arrived at the end of the bed and stopped, unwilling to go any further.

A spark of white sent her stumbling back two steps before two hands took hold of her arms and stopped her fall. One of them had opened their eyes.

"I think that's enough," said Malfoy, and maintaining his hold on her, he led her out of the room. She did not resist and let her feet move on their own accord. As soon as he was out of the door he let her go and she faltered, stopping abruptly and bending down, hands on her knees.

"Poor Granger," he scorned. "Not used to seeing ugly things? I thought you'd be used to it, having to look at Weasley every day."

She felt something akin to a thorn-sting in her chest. She stood upright and saw his hideous snare.

"Keep your comments to yourself, Malfoy, nobody wants to hear your voice."

Without another word he turned and left. She felt relieved. McGonagall joined her a minute later placing a warm hand on her shoulder. "I had the same reaction the first time I saw them."

Hermione nodded and gave the professor a small smile.

Harry and Neville where at the three Broomsticks drinking Butterbear and she felt relieved that Malfoy had not come too.

"You saw them?" asked Neville as she sat down on a cushioned chair by the sofa.

"I did."

"You'll get used to them," said Harry.

"Are they going to die?"

"We don't know," answered Neville. "We don't know if it's just inflicting them pain or if it's actually burning them from the inside."

Hermione nodded. "Then we should start from that."

Harry and Neville said nothing as she started thinking.

"How are you feeling, 'Mione?" asked Neville but she did not hear him at first.

"Hmm?"

Neville caught a look Harry gave him and shook his head. "I think I'll go back to Hogwarts," she decided standing up.

"Harry, Malfoy's still a spoiled brat."

"He's not, 'Mione."

She shook his head. "We seem to be talking about different people. See you both soon."

She closed the door and Neville looked at Harry.

"How long ago has it happened?"

"Three weeks ago."

Neville nodded. "And what about Ron?"

"He stopped trying."

"I never thought he'd be capable of something like that."

"Neither did I."

"Does he love her?"

"Don't know."

As soon as Hermione entered the library after curfew and skimmed through the texts and rolls of parchment she realized that there was nothing that could help. Anything useful was probably kept in the restricted section of the library. She wanted to ask Madame Pince if she could enter but she had already gone to sleep.

Shrugging, she entered anyway. If as a student nothing had happened she figured that nothing will happen now.

On she went, illuminating with her want titles and wondering if either McGonagall or Neville or even Malfoy had already looked at through any of them. She should've asked.

It took her most of the night to finish half of the list and took notes of the titles that she still had to do.

The next morning she woke up still clothed with her want still in hand and in the same position she had collapsed in the night before. She found that she liked it.

The next evening she went directly to McGonagall's office. She found the teacher in deep talk with Madame Pompfrey.

"Oh, Miss Granger, please sit down."

"Hello, Professor," she said. "Madame Pompfrey."

"Hi, dear."

"Professor I wanted to ask you about the restricted section."

"Madame Pince, Mr. Malfoy and myself have already looked, dear."

Hermione felt disheartened for a moment. Of course McGonagall had already looked. It would've been strange if she hadn't.

"Do they not remember anything? No word?"

"Their memories have been erased."

Hermione nodded. "And trying to recuperate them is too dangerous considering they're muggles."

The headmaster nodded.

"No one ever told me how you found them."

"A letter was sent to Mr Potter's desk. No sender, obviously. We suspect someone had physically delivered it, but we cannot be sure. He is looking into that at this very moment. The note contained only an address."

Hermione nodded again. "How are they?"

Madame Pompfrey hesitated before answering. "They are not changed."

"Alright, if there's nothing in the Hogwarts library, I'll have to see if Gringotts has something on the matter."

It took Hermione a week to go through all the information she could access at Gringotts and by the end of it all she found was a lotion as a substitute for the ones they were using at the moment. She presented her findings to Madame Pompfrey and Neville as soon as she entered the room at the Three Brooksticks.

"It has a couple of ingredients that will be very hard to find," Neville said studying the page Hermione had copied. "And I can't say I know where to find any of them."

Hermione looked at Madame Pompfrey. "You'll have to ask Mr. Malfoy, dear".

Hermione hid her annoyance well. The door opened immediately after and Hermione became even more annoyed that it was Malfoy himself.

"I found a better lotion," she said and Neville gave him the page. Without even glancing at her he took the page and studied it carefully.

"I have most of them, except Atimony and bark of Wiggentree and Moly."

"I'll search for Wiggentree but I'm not sure I can find it," said Neville.

Malfoy looked at him and nodded. "I'll see what I can do for Atimony and Moly."

Hermione sat back, now surprised. Harry had said that Malfoy had changed and she could see that his attitude towards Neville was nowhere near his attitude towards her. And she could draw only one conclusion. He was civil to anyone that wasn't a Slytherin now. With one exception- Muggleborns.

She looked at him. At least there were no insults, she thought. He turned in that exact moment and saw his expression tense when he met her eyes, and she looked away immediately. She felt her face change colour to pink but she did not acknowledge it, even to herself.

"At least we made _some_ progress," said Madame Pompfrey decisively. "Mr. Malfoy, do you know how to brew it?"

"If it has been copied correct, and if the potion actually exists, it should be easy enough."

Hermione went red and this time glared at him. How dare he, she thought, but she bit her tongue.

"I'll tell you when I start brewing, Longbottom, if it's within the week you'll take over."

Neville shook his head. "It's too precious a potion to entrust it to me. Let Hermione do it."

Malfoy looked at her, ignoring her glare. "I'll leave a key to my office to McGonagall she'll tell you when you'll have to take over. Don't blow anything up and don't waste my supplies."

Hermione almost laughed in his face but looked away. "I was always better," she murmured to herself, so quietly that not even Madame Pompfrey, who was sat right next to her, heard.

"Alright dears," said the mediwitch standing up. "I'll go inform the Headmaster of what Miss Granger has found. Have a good night."

She stood up, gathered her cloak and left, prompting Neville to stand up as well.

"See you both soon," he said. Hermione smiled at him and wished him a good night. As soon as the door closed after him she realized Malfoy was still there, looking at her. A sense of unease took over her but she met his stare.

"What did you say?"

She looked at him and realized that he had heard. "Excuse me?"

"What did you say, Granger?" He stressed every word and she knew there was no point in lying.

"I said I was always better."

She thought he was going to say something else, but he didn't. Instead he turned, pocketed the page with the potion and left.

For a reason unknown to her, Hermione kept thinking about the exchange she had with Malfoy for the couple of days that followed it. His behavior was partly a puzzle to her. She of course suspected it to be still influence by prejudice but the fact that she couldn't be sure, now made him a presence in her thoughts whenever her mind was not concentrated on anything else.

Harry still came from time to time to Gringotts to bring her something warm to drink, and she decided to ask him about it, the next time he stopped by.

"I'm still surprised how the Goblins let us both in everyday," laughed Hermione.

"Me too," said Harry in the same tone. "But I guess they figured that it's better to have us on their side than someone else's."

Hermione nodded. "However unpleasant they are, they've never reminded me of the fact that they lost their precious dragon."

"Well, they're not supposed to keep dragons in the conditions they did," whispered Harry.

"Harry, I' going to ask you something about Malfoy."

"Ok," he said, unsure.

"You said he's not such a big of a prat now."

"I did."

"Does he still believe Muggle-borns are inferior to him?"

Harry laughed. "No, Mione, he does not."

"Are you sure?"

Harry nodded and kept smiling.

"His girlfriend was a Muggle-born, Mione."

"Was?"

His smile faded. "Ok, don't even let him suspect the fact that you know what I'm about to tell you. He'll probably kill me, or never speak to me again."

"You say that as if Malfoy not talking to you ever again would be worse than him killing you."

Harry shrugged. "He's changed." He stayed silent for a moment and then, after taking a sip of his tea started talking.

"They broke up a while ago. They were together for a year and then he was bitten." He hesitated. "Let's just say he thought the girl would behave like Fleur did. She didn't.

"When we found him, he was detained for Lycanthropy in France, absolutely repulsed with his own nature. He still is, but I guess he's able to live with it now."

"So let me get this right, he knew she was a Muggle-born, right?"

Harry gave her a small smile. "He did."

"Then it doesn't make sense."

"He takes some time to warm up to people. There is something else."

"What?"

"The two people attacked, are the girl's parents."

Hermione looked at him in disbelief. "He's trying to help the girl that rejected him for what he was?"

Harry nodded. "He's not a bad person, Mione."

"Is he trying to get her back?"

"I'm not sure. But I know he's trying his best to help them, when he could've refused to be involved."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter III

She knew she should've not cared of Draco Malfoy's life choices and pains, but she couldn't help but soften her attitude towards him.

And of course she knew it was none of her business, but she couldn't help but wonder why he was doing what he was doing. Maybe it was just because McGonagall made him.

"Miss Granger," croaked a voice in front of her desk. A goblin was intently studying her, and had been for some time, she realized. It was Ragnok the Red, he handled the Curse-breakers for the bank.

"Yes."

"You will be sent to Iran on Monday, next week," he said placing a roll of parchment in front of her. "Be ready for departure at these coordinates, at dawn. You'll find the list of items it is mandatory to bring listed there."

Without awaiting a reply, he left.

She had dreaded missions, before. Now, she found that she welcomed them. It might give her new sources to research the curse of the muggles.

She almost smiled at how easily her thoughts had drifted so closely to him without actually remembering. She had noticed that everytime she entered her apartment she wanted to find him sleeping in her bed, or on the couch, with his legs draped over the cushions. She wanted to here his voice.

As soon as Harry had asked her to help him she had managed to stay away from the pain he had caused her. And she realized that her recent interest in Malfoy's motivations and life was just another distraction.

She stood up from her desk, and closed the door of her small office. She silently cast a Muffliato, and let her shoulders rest against the door.

She forgot how much love can hurt. She remembered the times when she felt sure and confident she was never going to suffer at Ron Weasley's hands again.

It hurt that she was wrong, and it hurt even more that she knew she was the cause of it all. Had she taken the time, she would've noticed Ron was not ok.

She could've stopped it from happening, she would've fixed things when she still could.

Her back slid against the door, and she sat down, hot tears lining her face.

She was just as guilty as he was.

At the next meeting at the Three Broomsticks, she told McGonagall of her assignment and the teacher promised to send news as soon as there were any changes.

Neville had found the Wiggentree while Malfoy had nothing.

"That's for the better," said McGonagall, decisively.

"They started to moan, Minerva," said Madame Pompfrey. "I hardly think it is. Miss Granger, if you have any occasion, please, try and outsource the missing ingredients. Merlin knows you might have more luck in another country."

"It is not about the country, Madam Pompfrey," said Malfoy a little irritated. "I reached for my contacts in France as well as here, no one seems to be able to find what we're looking for."

"I'll look for them, as well as I can," Hermione interjected.

The woman nodded, and she and McGonagall, after concurring that there was nothing more to be learned or decided upon, left, followed by Neville shortly after.

"Can't wait to prove yourself, Granger?"

Hermione had already started to rise from her spot on the sofa when he uttered those words.

"What, Malfoy?"

"Your help was never needed nor wanted." She almost laughed in his face. So he did want to take the credit for curing his ex-girlfriend's parents. Whatever goodwill had appeared towards him vanished.

"You think I care about your opinion?" She moved to face him. "I must apologise, then, it was never my intention."

He laughed sardonically. "Keep to your job, Granger."

"Or what? You'll go and tell on me?"

He clenched his jaw before opening his mouth to say something else but changed his mind mid-breath and stormed out of the room, without a single sound.

And there went any good feeling she had towards Draco Malfoy.

Iran was one of the most beautiful places Hermione had ever seen. Infinite valleys welcomed her when her Portkey landed in the middle of an arid desert. She started coughing through the tears looked around in search of her guide.

Two horses were standing in the morning sun, side by side facing her. Between them, a boy not older than sixteen was giving her a wide smile.

"Welcome to Iran, Miss Granger!"

Taken aback, and still coughing, she did not return the pleasantries. "I'm sorry, need a moment."

He grabbed a flask from one of the horse's saddle and rushed to her. The moment the water touched her lips, her coughing stopped.

"Thank you," she gasped. "My name's Hermione. No need for the Miss Granger."

"I'm Xenis," he said, still smiling.

"Where do we go?"

Xenis brought one of the horses to her. It was a dark brown stallion that puffed when he gave her the rains.

"Hope you know how to ride."

"A little. Don't you use brooms here?"

Xenis shook his head. "We don't have them, we mostly use carpets or horses. I prefer horses."

"So what's the site?"

"I can't say anything yet, my boss will tell you when we arrive at the camp."

Hermione nodded. "Who's your boss?"

"Caliph Ay," said Xenis. "He's very old school. The one who actually contacted you was Fidda," he said. When he saw Hermiones confusion he added, "One of his wives. She's trying to protect the old Wizard sites and tombs from the _la alsihr_ , the normal people."

"They need protected?"

"We're not in England, Hermione, war here is an eventuality not out of the ordinary."

He helped her get on her horse and off they went. Xenis had to hide his laughter when she could not get her horse to start walking. She shot him a glace that made him look away, but she could see his shoulders still shaking.

The caliphate of Iran was hidden between the country's montains and valleys with its only entrance a narrow passage marked by the frequent passing of horses.

Too concentrated on her horse, Hermione did not notice her surroundings at first.

"We're almost there," Xenis said.

She looked up from the horse's neck. Behind Him, a city built on the mountain-side took her breath away. The houses, all nestled on top of each other covered the rocky hill like a bee hive. Amongst them all sorts of vegetation grew abundant and emerald green, in contrast with the dull colours of the rectangular houses with flat roofs.

But her attention was very soon attracted by the white palace that rose from the valley, almost as high as the mountains themselves. Circled with grass and a river she had not noticed before, the palace of the Caliph shined with its white walls and dark blue columns.

"Welcome, to the Palace of the Caliph, Hermione," said Xenis. He led her through the prairie, where scattered, not far from one another, stood tents with blue, green and orange drapes.

"They're learning quarters," said Xenis. "Our children learn magic there."

The palace was just as magnificent in the inside at it was on the outside. And every man and woman seemed to be gathered along the benches around the palace and the river, where merchants had opened shop and were selling every kind of ingredient and magical artifact. She made a mental note of visiting it to look for Moly and Atimony.

An errand boy came to meet them at the entrance of the palace and took their horses away. Xenis walked fast through the corridors and the passages populated with people that just like them, never seemed to stay in one place for long.

"The palace is the main place for business, everyone meets here," said Xenis moving with ease through the people. He walked until at one point they were in front of two heavily set men wearing what Hermione imagined was a uniform.

Xenis handed them a parchment and after they checked what she had in her bag they let them through, closing the doors after them.

They entered a court where all the noise and the confusion that had welcomed her disappeared, and only a fountain was humming away. Tall columns the same colour as the once on the outside, skyrocketed from the ground. Hermione followed them with her eyes and had to bend her head backwards to see the top of them. Seven levels of windows and arcades looked down on the small fountain. Xenis was patiently waiting for her at the other end of the court, smiling at her wonder. They walked along what seemed and infinite set of corridors and doors, and all were guarded by men in uniforms, until finally her guide stopped in front of the biggest door so far.

The doors were opened as soon as they stopped in from of them.

Hermione had imagined the Caliph to sit on a golden throne surrounded by a dozen of women. She also imagined him to be fat, and a little stupid.

What she found instead of a throne was the biggest library she had ever seen. Like in the courtyard, when she looked up, she could see all the seven floors the palace had. Except here, instead of arcades and windows, scrolls of parchment and tomes filled shelves and boxes, boxes and baskets.

At the end of the room, a long table was illuminated with lamps and candles that seemed to irradiate the room with an unusual brightness.

"Miss Granger," said a voice from the other side of it. A man dressed in a white tunic stood up and came to meet them. A dark-skinned man with white hair and beard appeared from behind the light of the candles, walking swiftly and fast towards them.

His eyes were bright and alert and he curved his lips in a smile that made his heard slide up. He took her hand and shook it as if they were old friends. "Welcome, please come, have a sit."

She did not have the time to say a word. He let her to a coffee table hidden between the rows of shelves where warm tea, dates and sweets she had never seen awaited them. She mumbled a thank you and placed her bag at the end of the carped on which they sat, surrounded by feather cushions.

She did not even notice that Xenis had abandoned them, his work having been completed.

"I hope the travel by horse was not unpleasant, Miss Granger."

"It was endurable," she smiled and he smiled back pouring tea into her cup. "My wife Fidda will join us soon enough and she will give you all the details about your task here."

Hermione nodded and took a sip of her drink, glancing at her surroundings as she did.

"If I had no other responsibilities, I would spend my days and nights in this room," he mused. "Nothing but calm, silence and the company of the words of dead people. You see, Miss Granger, the _la alsihr_ had Alexandria, we had this. Millenia of knowledge are kept here, and no one will ever get to read it all."

"I apologise if it might seem unprofessional, and I will understand if you will refuse. But I have a curse to find, that seems to be unbreakable."

"A little passion of yours, I presume?"

She grimaced. "Something like that. And I wondered if with all this resources I could look for it here."

"You are welcome, whenever you could spare the time."

Hermione smiled. "Thank you, so much."

"Hello, Miss Granger," said a woman's voice behind her. Hermione stood up and turned towards the voice.

A woman was smiling at her while her eyeliner rimmed eyes were studying her face intently.

"I'm Fidda," and just like her husband she took Hermione's hand and shook it warmly.

"Welcome, I hope my husband has not bored you yet."

"No, of course not."

"I had no time to," said the Caliph.

Fidda laughed. "Please, take a sit, Miss Granger."

They sat back on the carpet and while the Caliph poured tea for his wife she reached inside her pocket for a tiny rucksack. Then, after opening in, produced a scroll which she handed to Hermione.

"This is the site we have difficulties in getting into. It's a tomb built around the tenth century A.D., we don't know yet who it belonged to. All the incisions and all the inscription are covered by spells. That's the map of the tomb we have so far discovered and broken into."

Hermione studied the map and looked at Fidda from time to time. "Is the curse on the inscriptions the only one you need me to break?"

"No," said Fidda placing a hand on her husband's shoulder. "There is a specific passage," she placed a finger on the map, where a door was drawn but nothing beyond it. "It affects everyone who tries to enchant it."

Hermione looked up at her. "What do you mean by affects?"

"It turns their skin to molten stone that burns everything in its path away."

And right then, the Caliph uncovered his forearm. The sight was familiar.

It was the same curse.


	4. Chapter 4

The tomb was beneath the Palace's dungeons. In one of the cells, the floor had been ripped and dug apart, and a rope that was hanging from the ceiling was the only way up or down.

The walls were bare and seemingly untouched, just how Fidda had described them. She studied and analyzed each corner and each corridor, breaking the curses as she went. It was nothing unusual or difficult. Spells meant to hide had more or less the same structure and they always broke in the same way. A servant came to inform them that supper was awaiting them. With difficulty, and not without Xenis' help, Hermione managed to climb the rope up.

After supper, Xenis led her again to the library, where Fidda and the Caliph were waiting for her.

She sat down with them as the same coffee table and told them that most of the inscriptions and had been unveiled.

That night, an owl arrived from McGonagall.

 _The lotion you have found seems to work. I'll keep you updated on further developments._

She wrote back telling her about the tomb and the fact that the curse she had to deal with was the same the muggles had upon them. Just as she sent the owl away, another arrived. She recognized the handwriting immediately.

 _Hermione,_ it read. She took a deep breath, sat on the bed and kept on reading.

 _I will not apologise, because what I did to you is unforgivable. I won't even try to excuse myself. All I want from you is to try and look past what I've done and if you can, stay with me, as before. I will answer any question, and give you any answer you might want. I will accept if you wanted nothing to do with me anymore. I will accept anything. But please, don't ignore me._

 _I love you._

 _Ron_

She inhaled again and let the letter slide from her fingers. She knew what Ron had done was something she could not forgive. She also knew she couldn't imagine her life with someone else. However much it hurt, she still wanted him beside her. She wrote back a replay.

 _I will listen, Ron. But it will take time._

She sent it and climbed further on the bed falling asleep before tears could fill her eyes.

When she climbed down to the tomb, the next morning, Fidda was already there, copying the inscriptions on the walls to paper.

"Have you ever seen anything similar?"

"No," answered Hermione. "It's a language I can't identify and the rest just makes no sense to me."

Fidda nodded. "It'll be a difficult curse to break."

Hermione said nothing and got to work. She felt like every movement she made was automatic while her mind raced with thoughts completely unrelated to the curse that seemed to be everywhere.

She analyzed the door and the spells on it. She found nothing.

Perplexed she looked for curses or cursed objects. Still nothing.

She sat down in front of it and intently fixing her gaze on its old wood, she tried to concentrate on the problem at hand. She found that she couldn't do that. No matter how hard she tried, any solution or magical analysis she knew of seemed to escape her. Irritate she got up and looked around her. Fidda was gone and she could hear Xenis humming away in the cell above.

She started pacing. The curse was activated by some aggression, in the Caliph's case it was magical. But the ones at home were muggles. She possessed no magic to activate it. It meant then that if she tried to enchant it, she would be affected. But what if she just tried to open it?

Stopping in front of it, she placed her hand on the knob. Nothing.

She twisted it. A creaking sound came from it, but nothing else.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed.

Hermione felt something press against her ribcage. She tried to move away from it but the more she did, the more pressure she felt. She had to blink twice before a small flicker of light appeared in front of her eyes. She had difficulty focusing on it. She blinked a couple times more yet it made no difference.

"Hermione," said a voice. It was male, gentle. She knew it very well. Turning towards its source, she could see through the fog a mass of disorganized hair.

Harry.

"Don't move, I'll go call a Mediwitch." She closed her eyes once more and did not hear or see anything for another while.

The next time she opened her eyes, the pressure in her ribcage had lessened the fog had dissipated and everything seemed in a sharper focus than before.

She looked around and saw flowers at the end of the bed, but no one else was in the room. She sat up feeling like she just woke up from the worst sleep of her life.

She looked around, studying her surroundings. It was not 's anymore. This was Hogwarts.

Outside, a light rain was tapping on the glass and no other sound could be heard.

The door opened and her hand whipped to where her wand was. It found nothing. Malfoy entered the room and found her reaching on the bedside table for a wand that wasn't there.

"Your wand broke, Granger."

He placed three potions near her hand.

"What do you mean it broke? What happened?"

He huffed in annoyance.

"I know it's a bummer for you to be the first person to see me awake, Malfoy," sha said placing her feet on the ground and standing up. "But I want to—

Before she could finish the sentence, she felt her feet give up and her weight fall forwards. Malfoy caught her before she could reach the ground. With her nose buried into her his cloak she smelled the ground, and the warm smell of fallen leaves.

She caught herself and tried to move away but he did not let her go.

"Sit down, we don't need you wasting all the potions we had to give you."

She tried to reply but before she could he had pushed her back to sit on the bed and was moving away.

"Why can't I stand? What happened to me?"

"You tried to enter a cursed room, some of your memories were modified and some of your bones broken," Malfoy was now studying the flowers at the end of her bed.

"I recuperated your memories, but you'll feel without any strength for a while."

"Is that why I'm at Hogwarts? So you could get inside my head."

"Trust me, Granger, it was the last thing in the world I wanted."

Hermione looked at him and for a moment, as he was studying the flowers, she saw a glimpse of something in his eyes.

"So you know Harry told me—

"What are your favourite flowers, Granger?"

"What?"

The door clicked and it opened, revealing a red head carrying a tray of food.

"Forget it," said Malfoy and rushed past Ron. He stopped right at the door then and looked at her behind Ron. "Drink the potions every hour. I'll bring the next ones when you finish them."

Ron looked up just in time to see Draco. He then turned to Hermione who was silently looking at him.

"Hello," he said.

"Hi, Ron."

"I brought you something to eat."

"Thank you."

Awkwardly, he tried to put the tray on her bedside table, but when he saw the potions he moved to where the flowers were and placed it there.

He did not look at her but stood there.

"Hope you like the flowers. Didn't know which ones to get you."

"Lilies are nice thank you."

She was looking ahead, and hadn't turned once to look at him.

"Do you remember—

"I do."

"Do you want me to leave you?"

"Yes, please."

"Hermione, please, say something, please."

"I need time, Ron."

He moved in front of her and lowered himself as to be at her eyelevel.

"Do you want me to leave?"

"Yes, please."

"Hope you feel better, Hermione." Obviously hurt, he got up and left.

Hermione drank the potions and ignored the food. She laid down on the bed again and found that there was nothing she could think about. Not even he tomb and what happened after she opened the door. She could focus on nothing.

At the ticking of the next hour she drank the potion and considered eating, but changed her mind. She never really liked Shepard's pie.

She woke up at the sound of glass clinking. Looking up, she saw Malfoy place two more bottles of potion in place of the ones she drank.

"Eat Granger, or do you want to be spoon-fed?"

"How cute, Malfoy, are you worried about me?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself."

"How were my memories altered, is it something that can help those Muggles."

"Maybe. Potter is contacting the Iranian Caliph for a copy of those inscriptions."

Hermione nodded and turned on her back.

"Drink one before you fall asleep and one after you've had breakfast, tomorrow."

"Don't be angry at Harry, Malfoy. He meant no harm."

He looked at her. "You have no idea, Granger, do you?"

"What?"

He huffed and move to the door.

"Why do you always run away?" she called after him.

He stopped and turned pointedly towards her again.

"The girl you found in your house, Granger, was the same girl Potter told you about. Lilies are her favourite flowers, as I'm sure they're not yours. And you are fool if you think you can go back to the way you were."

Stunned, Hermione sat up. "What?"

"Is that the only word you know, Granger?"

She looked at him. "Do you still want her back, Malfoy?"

"Careful, that's none of your business."

"You got to look inside my head, I think it's fair."

"Do you think I care about fair?"

"I'm sorry, forgot you were a rat."

He took no notice of her insult. Hermione saw that glimpse in his eyes once again, before he turned and left.

The next morning, Harry brought her breakfast. And she ate the toast and drank the coffee as if she hadn't eaten in years.

"We've contacted the Caliph," Harry said sitting at the end of her bed. "He sent us the scroll of the inscriptions and of the translations they managed to do so far, but you'll have to continue them. None of us know how make sense of any of them."

Hermione nodded. "You should've brought them with you, I could've started now."

"We have time, the lotion you found for us seems to stop the curse's effects."

"Any closer in finding who's responsible?"

"No."

Hermione nodded and kept munching on her toast.

"Hermione, are you sure you can get over what he's done?"

Hermione put the toast back on her plate. "I don't know. But I want to give him a chance."

Harry studied her face for a while.

"You're not, in any way, the reason behind what he's done."

Hermione pushed the plate away, her hunger gone. "I am."

"No, Mione, he messed up. He did something you don't have to forgive."

"I want to give us a chance Harry."

He nodded after a moment. "Alright."

Hermione drank her potion giving her the excuse not to say anything else. Or to mention the fact that he gave her the favourite flowers of another girl.

Harry stayed for another half hour and then left, giving her a tight hug before he did.

Hermione got up and looked around the room. Only now she noticed that the elves had mended and cleaned her clothes and had put them in the room's wardrobe.

She got dressed and looked through her correspondence.

Gringotts gave her a month leave, because of what happened. She knew it was more of punishment for not bringing any loot back to the back, but she couldn't care less. She knew they wouldn't fire her.

She finished her toast and went to the Headmaster's office. McGonagall had the look on her of a furious woman, but she soften her expression when she saw Hermione. The headmaster offered her to remain at Hogwarts if she wished and Hermione accepted. They kept on talking about the scroll the Caliph had sent them and McGonagall gave her a number of texts she thought might contain something useful, before the warmly lit room was disturbed by a shining white stag floating though the air above them. And then, Harry's voice spoke.

"There are more, be ready, we're bringing them to Hogwarts."


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione forgot, in the commotion, that she was more or less useless without a wand. She could do some basic wandless spells, but Malfoy, irritated sent her to get an elf to set up three more beds.

She sulked, but did as was told. Then, she was relinquished in a corner of the room watching as Madame Pompfrey applied lotion over the carbonized bodies, while Malfoy had gone to bring more. She noticed heavy-hearted that one of them must've been a child.

McGonagall had gone to speak with Harry and she wondered now, if she should've done the same. Deciding that it was wiser to leave the Mediwitch alone she moved to the door only to find Malfoy in her way.

"Running away?"

"I'm going to speak to Harry."

"Please, be free," he said with laughter in his eyes. "You don't have to ask for my permission."

"Sod off, Malfoy. How can you laugh?"

"Sense of humor, which you obviously lack."

"Yours is not a sense of humour, Malfoy."

"Says the bookworm."

She huffed. "Didn't you have to get those lotions somewhere?"

"Weren't you running away?"

"I was not running away. Unless, of course, you'd like to lend me your wand."

"Sod off, Granger."

She couldn't keep her lips from curving upwards.

Ooooooooooooo…oooooooooooooooO

Harry was intently talking with McGonagall, his shoulders slouched and defeated.

She sat in the chair next to him and waited for him so say something. When he didn't McGonagall stood up from her desk and gave Hermione a note.

"Same as the others ," she said. "A note left on Mr Potter's desk."

Hermione looked at the note. It was written with a typewriter, and just as the previous one, only an address.

"Harry, Wizards don't use typewriters."

"I know, Mione."

"Who are the Victims this time?"

"Wizards, pure-blood."

"It doesn't make any sense," said Hermione as she kept studying the note.

"Tell me about it," said Harry harshly.

She ignored him. "Then the motif is something not related to blood hatred or any other of this kind."

"Hermione…"

"Don't interrupt me," she said. "What if, whoever is responsible is trying to figure out the ways in which the curse affects both Wizards and Muggles. I honestly won't be surprised if the next victims will be muggle-borns."

"Thank you, Hermione for having such faith in me," said Harry sardonically.

"I'm just pointing things out, and I'm not done. If we can find a way of connecting these two sets of victims it might give us an idea of which the next ones will be."

"What could the parents of a muggle-born Witch and a pure-blooded family have in common?"

"Perhaps it's worth looking into, don't you think, Mr Potter." McGonagall was looking sternly at both of them. "Miss Granger, you should get yourself a new wand, as soon as you feel able to leave the castle. But it's better if you don't go alone."

"I'll cope, professor, thank you."

With that, the two of them left the Headmaster's office.

Harry gave her a sour look once the gargoyle closed behind them.

"Don't look at me like that," Hermione said.

"I know you want to help, Hermione, but don't get ahead of yourself."

"Ahead of myself? Harry, isn't it in our best interest to find whoever did it—

"Hermione," said Harry slowly. "I know what you're going through is not easy. But you should don't jump on the first thing that's available just to distract yourself."

"I'm trying to help you!"

"I don't need it! Not in this."

"Just like every other time you said you didn't need our help."

"I never asked for it, because I knew I didn't need it."

"Stop lying to yourself, Harry. I thought you were past that."

"You know what, Hermione, how about you deal with your problems first, and let the me deal with my own job the way I think fit."

He stormed off. She touched her cheeks and felt them burning and a little wet with tears. She dried them off with the sleeve of her shirt and went on to get her cloak and her purse.

That night, Ron came back to see her. He sat at the end of her bed, looking at her with expecting eyes. She said nothing, and kept twisting her new wand between her fingers, trying to get used to it.

"I know I said I was not going to apologise, but I'm sorry," he said.

Hermione didn't glance at him. Instead, without a word, she moved objects around the room, placed them back.

"Hermione please say something."

"Tell me Ron, would you have told me you were cheating on me had I not found out on my own?"

He said nothing.

"Would you, at least, have broken up with me because of what you were doing?"

Again, he remained quiet.

"Who are you, Ron? What happened to you?"

Ron looked up to her but said nothing.

"I made a mistake Hermione, I'm not denying the fact that I did. But please just tell me something. Do you think you'll still want to try and be with me?"

"I don't know Ron." Hermione stood up. "I don't know if we'll ever be the same."

"And you're not willing to try?"

"Is it worth it, Ron?"

"Is it not? I love you"

Hermione almost laughed. "You love me? You cheated on me, Ron. How can you even say you love me?"

He took a deep breath. "Let's not pretend like we were fine, and it all happened from nothing."

Hermione turned to look at him. "You're right. I have blame in this as well—

"That's not what—

"But nothing, Ron, nothing, excuses what you've done."

In that moment, the door opened and Malfoy came in, bearing what looked like the last potions Hermione would have to take.

His eyes switched from Hermione to Ron with his eyebrows creased.

"I'm sorry, lovebirds, didn't mean to interrupt."

"What do you want, Malfoy?" asked Ron.

Bu he didn't answer, and Hermione moved to get the bottles from him. When she grabbed hold of them, Malfoy didn't let them go.

She looked up at him and saw that he was intently looking at her. He was not hostile not scornful. He was just looking at her as if waiting for something.

"Take the red one tonight, just before you fall asleep." Hermione had the strangest impression that he was trying to tell her something.

"I will," she said and trying again to pull, but the potions still would not move out of his grasp.

"The green one tomorrow morning."

She looked down at the potions and at him again. He raised his eyebrows now, as if asking a question.

"And red one again tomorrow evening before bed."

"I gathered that Malfoy, thank you." His expression relaxed. "Are they the last?"

"Yes they are, won't have to waste my supplies on you anymore."

He left without another word.

Hermione placed the bottles on the bedside table and sat back down on the bed.

"So what do we do, Hermione?"

"I don't know if we'll ever be the same. You obviously think that I am at fault as well. I think that even given the fact that I was not the perfect girlfriend, you're actions are not forgivable, nor understandable."

"Hermione—

"You could've tried, Ron," she said and her voice broke. She took a deep breath trying to stop the tears but it did nothing but encourage them. Ron moved to touch her but she stood up putting herself out of his reach.

"I don't want to see you, because every time I do, I remember her laugh in our house, and her bag in the kitchen. I will never want to touch you because she has."

She dried her tears with her sleeve. "I will never forget what you have done, Ron. Even if I love you, and even if there is nothing I want more."

"Then this is it?"

Now, Hermione turned to look him in the eyes. "It is, Ron."

When the door closed, she drank the red potion and prayed for sleep to come.


	6. Chapter 6

Harry threw the stack of paper off his desk and set it on fire. He watched it burn, his face contracted in an angry frown and his breathing heavy.

He was getting nowhere and it was making him angry and frustrated. What, however, was making him furious was that he knew Hermione's suggestion was good. He knew that after all of his leads came out empty he should at least check.

He extinguished the fire and sat back down at his desk. Perry Watson's parents, Olivia and Marcus, had only come in contact to magic through their children. She, as far as Harry knew, had finished Hogwarts and had moved to France, where she had lived as a muggle for three years. There she had met Draco. After that Harry knew nothing about her or any significant connection she had had in the years that followed their break-up. He had to speak to her at some point or another, especially since she still was unaware of her parent's condition.

As for the second family, the Shafiq family, they had one remaining son, uncursed. Faris Shafiq, Harry was still unsure about his whereabouts.

He took a deep breath and got to work.

He cursed Hermione for being right. He also thanked her for the same reason.

Faris Shafiq was a curse-breaker that was currently in Egipt. Harry sent him an owl to inform him of his parent's condition.

And he set off to find Perry Watson with a list of questions he wanted her to answer. When he knocked on her apartment door, his eyes met a flaming red head and very surprised eyes.

"Ron," Harry said.

"Hello Harry."

"Is Parry home?"

"Yeah, what do you want with her?"

"It's about her parents, Ron."

"Ron?" said a voice from beyond the door.

Perry appeared from behind him. "What about my parents?"

"They have been attacked and cursed by someone we are yet to apprehend."

"Cursed?"

"It is a bit difficult to explain."

Perry stared at Harry for a moment. He saw that her petite figure started to shake and Ron moved to circle her waist with his arm.

"Let's...let's sit down," she mumbled and with Ron's help they moved to two identical floral-printed couched. Harry followed them in, but stood by the door.

It was making him very uncomfortable to see Ron touch in such a way someone that was not Hermione. He knew that people could change, and relationships could break, but to see it happen to Ron and Hermione was something that he never thought possible.

"Have a sit," said Parry looking at him waiting for any explanation. Once he sat down he started talking and explaining what they knew, their condition and the fact that they were still far from finding a way to break the curse.

She cried, and Harry watched as Ron consoled her, brushing her hair and holding her close.

Harry did not hate her, nor did he hate Ron. But as he watched them, he couldn't help but remember that their happiness was at the price of someone else. It made him dislike Parry a bit, but he knew that she was not the only one to blame.

"Perry, I have questions that I'd like to ask you alone."

"Ron can stay whatever you have to ask me," she said through sobs.

"Auror ruled prohibits me from doing so."

Ron looked at her to make sure and she nodded. He left giving Harry a warning look that he ignored.

Harry cast a muffliato on the room and took out a quill and a piece of parchment that he charmed.

"I will be transcribing what is being said, as to have an official record of this conversation."

"I understand."

"We have reason to suspect that these attacks are not random."

Perry nodded and wiped her tears off her face, mentally preparing herself for what Harry was about to ask her.

"When was the last time you saw your parents?"

"Three month's ago. They keep writing me from time to time. I had no idea that this was happening."

Harry nodded, making a mental note to check the letters the Watsons had received from their daughter. "We did not want to involve the families until it was necessary, considering that you have two younger siblings." Harry took a deep breath.

"Why did you move to Paris after Hogwarts?"

This question seemed to take her aback. "Why is that important? We're talking about my parents not why I moved."

Harry watched her. "As I said, these attacks are not random."

When she didn't answer Harry stood up. "I'd rather not come back with a vial of Veritaserum, Miss Watson. I can show you where they are so you can see them, but I'd like to have my answers as well."

She looked up at him in disbelief. "I know that you do not like me, but how can you keep me away from my parents? Isn't it my right to see them? They are my parents!"

Harry did not look at her instead he took the floating parchment in his hand and watched as the quill was still drawing letters on the page. "Answer the question, Miss Watson."

"I thought I was done with the Wizarding World and I had always wanted to live in Paris, so I moved there."

"Why did you think you were done with the Wizarding World?"

"It is hard to explain. I was not made to feel welcome. I was a Slytherin."

Harry said nothing, waiting. But she did not elaborate.

"What made you come back?"

"It's where I belong."

"I still have more questions, but you're right. I can't keep you from seeing your parents."

"Can I see them? Now?"

"Yes, if you wish."

"I want to take Ron with me."

"Very well."

Hermione woke up with a headache. Sleep had not come as soon as she had hoped. The tears had come sooner.

She noticed changes in her bedroom. While before there were only her bed, a trunk at the end of it, a bedside table and a chair, now a desk had been added by the window, and a coffee table made of dark wood with a dark blue sofa in front of the fireplace. On said coffee table, her breakfast was awaiting her. She wondered if it would be brought to her everyday, if so, she knew there was very little chance she'd ever get out of her room, except maybe for going to the library.

She ate what the house elves brought her and started working on the inscriptions on the tomb walls. She regretted not having the time to look through all the texts and tomes that the Caliph had in his library.

The day passed without her noticing. She decided to take a walk around the grounds while all the students were at dinner.

She headed for one of the new towers. It was cold and windy, a thick layer of dark gray covered the sky as far as she could see. It was still an empty plan with no windows, and she closed her coat tighter around her neck. She leaned on window and looked down. The footbridge that connected the road to Hogsmeade and Hogwarts was still left uncovered from the rain and she watched as the last students were hurrying towards the castle to have dinner.

"You chose an unfortunate spot, Granger."

She jumped and turned, giving Malfoy a sour look.

"What are you doing here Malfoy."

"Wanted to make sure you were not about to jump off the tower."

She did not respond. Instead, she looked back out of the window, trying to ignore him.

Draco move to the window next to her and looked at the footbridge, saying nothing. There almost halfway to the castle, three figures were making their way to the castle. Draco couldn't help but sadly smile at the sight of the two that were following the back-cloaked one. He glanced over at Granger. She was looking down at them, her eyes fixed, not blinking.

He saw tears form and looked away, bringing his eyes back down. They were close to the castle's entrance now.

"Do you feel a fool, yet Granger? Because I do."

She scoffed, and started rubbing her arms to protect herself against the cold. "And why would you feel a fool Malfoy? You were not cheated on."

"It's inevitable when you see that the person that replaced you is Weasley."

Hermione looked at him. He was smirking. Neither he was ok with what they saw, but unlike her, he was at peace with his ex-lover's choice.

"Don't think about it too much, Granger. You were just not meant to be together."

She coughed a laugh. "You're not helping, Malfoy."

"I'm not trying to. It won't make it any better knowing that you were not meant for each other. It won't help you knowing that he's happy because it was you he was supposed to be happy with. It will not stop hurting until you alone stop needing that person."

"I never needed…"

"Stop lying to yourself, Granger, you did, and you still do. You miss him, that's a need itself."

"You don't miss her?"

He looked at her. "I am resentful, Granger."

Hermione looked at him confused.

"Weasley?" He said like it was obvious. She rolled her eyes and remained quiet for some time.

"We've been made a fool of, Malfoy. Especially me."

"Never thought I'd see this day, Granger."

"Shut up," she mumbled. Hermione took out her wand and cast a protective spell over the tower, exhaling in relief when the wind stopped.

"I just don't understand."

"Why he tried to make it good with you and went right back to someone else when you told him no?"

"Yes."

"Guess he's not the person you thought he was, Granger."

"Guess not."

It was much later that they left the tower, both staying away from the Fifth Floor.


	7. Chapter 7

| Please note that once the story is finished I will go back and correct all the mistakes I made throughout the chapters. Sorry for having to put up with sloppy writing. Thank you very much for reading. I appreciate it a lot.|

* * *

Hermione woke up from a knock on her door. Stumbling on the couch, still not used to it being there, she got to the door and opened it.

"Good morning, sunshine," Malfoy said stepping in and going for the couch. He sat down on it, making himself comfortable.

"Please, come in," said Hermione sarcastically.

"I already did, thank you."

"What do you want, Malfoy?"

"I don't have much time," he said taking out a roll of parchment from his cloak. "As you are aware, Granger, I will be absent for a couple of days. I started brewing the lotion but, unfortunately, I will not be there to finish it."

"I know how to brew, Malfoy, you could've just left a note."

"What? And miss the opportunity to see that chicken's nest that you have instead of hair? Never."

"Get on with it."

He pulled a face but started explaining to her all the small changes he had to make to the potion she had found in order to make it work. Hermione half- listened, and when he was done, she wished she could ask him to repeat it all once again.

He stopped and looked at her for a second, and smiled.

"Because you did not listen to a word I said, I wrote it down."

"I heard you Malfoy."

"Sure you did."

"When do I start?"

"Tomorrow," he said and stood up. "I'll be gone from tomorrow."

Almost at the door Hermione stopped him.

"Who do I have to thank for the new furniture?"

"McGonagall, she wanted you to be comfortable while you stay here. Go figure, I work for her and I get nothing of the kind."

"You can afford your own couch, Malfoy."

He laughed and opened the door, turning one last time towards her. "Don't waste my supplies, Granger."

* * *

Deciding that it was pointless to go to sleep now, she got to work. At some point during the morning, her breakfast appeared.

She decided to write to Fidda and the Caliph, asking for any help they felt like they could give, and hoped that maybe, they had had more success.

* * *

"Professor McGonagall, what do you know about Perry Watson?"

McGonagall hid a smile. "I'm glad you're taking the path Miss Granger suggested."

Harry said nothing, swallowing hard and avoiding the teacher's glare.

"She was a good student, nothing exceptional, I'm afraid, but had a talent for Charms."

"Did she get along with her housemates?"

"Surprisingly so," McGonagall said. "During those years I thought how remarkable it was that the House of Slytherin was becoming accepting. Well, of course there were exceptions."

"Anything in particular?"

"Nothing major, Mr Potter, some students just avoided other students."

Harry thought for a second, before asking his next question.

"Who was she closest to?"  
"Mr Shafiq, which was very fortunate for her. If it had not been for him her life would've been much harder, I believe."

A sort of electric wave went through his stomach and he stood up. "Thank you, professor," he said running to the door.

* * *

Hermione entered what used to be Snape's office prepared to find traps and dark artifacts lying under a perpetual layer of dust, spider webs and darkness.

Instead, what she found was that Malfoy had charmed a dozen of small candles to float as the ones in the Grand Hall, and light up if someone entered the room. There was no dust, nor darkness, nor spider webs anywhere she could see. He must have the elves clean everything for him every day, she thought. The supplies were hidden in wooden cabinets. Some of them were locked with a key she had not been given.

In the center of the room was a workbench where, inside a cauldron, the lotion was boiling away. Near it, laid out in order, the ingredients she still had to add.

Hermione took out the notes he had given her, and got to work.

She was just about to start bottling the potion when the door opened and a Malfoy entered the room.

"What are you doing here?"

The question took her by surprise. It must've been later than she had thought. "Brewing the potion? What are you doing here?"

He watched the bottles in her hand and the steaming lotion. "It's eight o'clock, Granger. Leave it, I'll finish it."

"It's ok, I believe you have classes."

"Leave." He had murmured the word, but it sounded more like a growl.

"I'll finish it, clean up, and then I'll leave. You asked me to help didn't you?"

Draco swore and strode towards her. "You've finished Granger," he said slowly. "Leave."

She planted her feet before speaking. "I'll finish what I started."

He almost snarled. "Why are you so bloody stubborn?"

She said nothing for a moment while he breathed heavily staring at her with fury. "I'm not sure what's happening, Malfoy, but I will finish what I started, and you will go and clean yourself up."

"Why is it so difficult for you to do what you're told, Granger?"

"Because I have the ability to think with my own head, Malfoy."

That made him take a step back from her, the fury in his eyes gone. Hermione realized the implications of what she had just said.

"I didn't mean-

"Yes, you did," he snapped. "You knew perfectly well what you were saying, Granger."

"Malfoy, I did not-

"For the last time," he said, calmly. "Leave."

Hermione placed the empty bottles neatly on the counter and left.

* * *

Hermione closed the door to her room and sat down on the couch, laying down on it. She pointed her wand at the fireplace and a hearty fire warmed the room.

It seemed to her, that the only thing she was good at was hurting, angering and making the people that seemed to care for her, unhappy. Of course Malfoy was an exception, but he did not deserve to be reminded of the mistakes of his past, at least, not anymore.

Hermione woke up still on the couch, the fire she had lit was still burning but more calmly now. She raised her head to look out of the window and saw that it had gotten dark, but in front of her window a figure was standing, looking out of it.

She grabbed her wand and sat up. When she focused on the clocked figure she relaxed, recognizing Harry.

"Hello Harry," she said.

He turned and smiled at her awkwardly. "Hello 'Mione."

"I'm sorry," she said.

"I'm sorry, too."

He took off his cloak and sat down next to her. "How are you?"

She told him how she and Malfoy had seen Parry and Ron enter the castle, and how there were still things she couldn't understand.

"But I'm better, I think."

"You're not," Harry said. "You still think it's your fault."

"Harry, it is my fault."

He rolled his eyes, making sure she did not notice it. "I can't do anything to convince you otherwise, but don't tell me I did not tell you so."

"You never say, I told you so."

"I know, I way too good for that."

Hermione smiled. "You know, I like being here."

"Hogwarts?"

Hermione nodded. It's almost I can pretend I'm still in school, and I have homework to do."

"And we all know just how much you love homework."

"Don't sass me, you know what I mean."

Harry smiled and nodded. "But then, you forget all the trouble we had to go through, and Hermione, it was a lot of homework."

She laughed. "Oh shut up, you always copied it from me anyway."

"I would've, if you had let me. You never let us…"

Harry stopped and looked at her.

"It's ok, Harry."

"Do you miss him?"

She nodded.


	8. Chapter 8

Draco Malfoy had very little tolerance for teaching, yet, at night when he entered his quarters and felt the tension leave his limbs and body, he felt satisfied. There was the vain part of him that wanted to change the life of his students with every word he said, but he knew nothing of the sort was ever going to happen.

As he laid down the first day back after the full moon, there was no satisfaction washing over him, there was just irritation that maybe was even anger.

He felt sorry for Hermione Granger maybe in the same way she felt sorry for him. He did not care for this last part.

He had been in her situation before and he knew what the pain felt like, and for some reason he wanted to make sure she did not end up even remotely closer than he had.

He sat up from his bed. It did not do him any good remembering his last couple of months in France, nor the bite, the cell or the rest of them.

He got his cloak and started for the entrance of the castle, hoping that somewhere in that forest he could find something to distract his head from his own thoughts.

It wasn't long before he found his way into the darkest part of the forest. Centaurs roamed these parts so he thought it would be wise to keep moving.

Draco wandered between the secular trees, his mind blank.

At least he was not thinking about anything other than the steps he was taking, the soft forest floor under his feet and the cold air around him.

He stopped in front of the edges of the lake and sat down on a fallen tree covered in moss. He watched the calm water gently cover the smooth rocks at shore and retreat over and over again.

It was then when he followed the water's withdrawal with his eyes he saw a white figure emerge from the darkness of the lake.

It submerged again into the water until only the unclear shape of a face remained visible. His immediate reaction when he saw that it was approaching the shore was to hide. So he fled among the darkness of the forest and hid just out of sight.

Once closer to the shore the figure emerged completely again. It was a girl that Draco did not recognize. He tried to think if it was a student. He dismissed that thought immediately. She did not look like a student at all. She bent down and picked up something from the ground and muttered a couple of words.

In a moment the short camisole the girl was wearing retook its form hiding her forms and the hair puffed up three times its size and Draco swore.

It was Granger. Once she put her cloak on he decided to let her know of his presence.

"Nice nightgown, Granger."

She pointed her wand at him, its tip producing a bright light that blinded him.

"Malfoy," she said angrily. "What are you doing here?"

"Taking a walk. Take the light out of my face, Granger"

She reduced it slightly, but pointed it at the groud.

"How much did you see?"

"Do you really want to know?"

She huffed and realized that she did that a lot when talking to Malfoy. She started walking towards the forest.

"Do you know your way?"

"I'll be fine."

"Granger, stop."

"What?"

"You have nice…"

"Malfoy!"

"Alright sorry, couldn't help it. Really though, do you know your way?"

"So you can keep looking at my nice…"

"Stop it, Granger, it was a joke."

"A disgusting one, but I wouldn't have expected anything else from you."

Draco stopped for a second and moved a couple of steps closer as to see her face better. "You really have an awful opinion about me."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said sarcastically, taking a step back. "But all I've known about you and from you is awful things."

"Have I done something to you?"

She opened her mouth to answer.

"In recent times," he corrected himself.

She sealed her lips back.

"I presume the answer is no," he said. "Who's unreasonably awful now, Granger?"

Hermione said nothing for a long moment. "Let's just say I don't like you."

"That's a shame," he said with a little smile. "I kind of like you."

Hermione looked at him with suspicion until she saw the little smile that told her it was a lie0. "Very funny, Malfoy." She started into the forest, wand ahead.

"The other way, Granger. That's centaurus territory."

Without stopping she changed direction, leaving Draco sniggering behind her. She did not hear him follow her so she presumed he had stayed behind. Stumbling and trying to remember which way the castle was, Hermione became more and more aware of what was happening around her. Stomping aroung her were hundreds and hundreds of little feet began swarming in her direction.

She had to think fast. Turn around, back to the water. She started running towards the lake, only to stop when she saw the shapes of giant spiders move in front of her.

She swore. Great idea, Hermione, there is no danger in a little swim, she thought.

She shot an illuminating spell above her and screamed at the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of giant spiders circling her and looking at her. She had to think of something. Oh, god, why wasn't anything coming to her?

They were slowly advancing from every part, trying to catch her off guard.

Hermione took a deep breath. She was not going to die.

She set the forest floor on fire, forming a circle around her. The spiders stopped and retreated a little. She set a cooling spell on herself before she started cooking.

She heard a noise from above her. She looked and saw a black, eight-legged figure jump on her. She yelled 'Stupefy' and ducked.

The monster fell on the fire and it started burning. Hermione coughed and put the cloak to her mouth.

They seemed to have caught a moment of weakness because a second one climbed on the trees and jump on her. Silently she sent a jet of red its way, sending him flying somewhere among the trees hidden in darkness. She turned to the burning creature near her and levitated it sending the flaming shape on the edges of circle of spiders trying to get them to withdraw.

But all they did was advance from behind her.

As she was swinging this dying fire in front of the creatures she thought that maybe she could Apparate. She let the ball fall over what she thought was the biggest amass of the creatures and concentrated on the Three Broomsticks.

Before she could, however, she saw one more of them jump over her. She went to stupefy it but the giant hairy body crashed her before she could.


	9. Chapter 9

Draco sat back down on the mossy fallen tree he had occupied before seeing Granger coming out of the lake.

He couldn't get the vision out of his head. Great, he thought, now he had something else to get out of his head. He decided that this was something he could sleep over and forget.

He made his way through the forest towards the castle.

With the lake already far behind him, he heard the scream.

For the second time that night his brain produced a name he was not happy to think about.

He whipped out his wand and illuminating his path with it, he started running towards the direction the voice came from.

He saw the flame before he saw the spiders.

When he did, they had already heard him. He had a moment of pause as they started to shift from their victim circled in fire and one that was unprotected by it.

Draco did not think twice. He started shooting a Killing Curse after another, aiming at every spider he could see moving. He did not have to fight long before they started to retreat and go back to the girl.

In that moment, as he followed them with his eyes, he saw the spider fly from a height. He shot a stunning curse in that direction and saw the creature bounce from Granger into the ring of fire.

Granger did not stand up. He cursed and made his way to her by force of Avada Kedavras. He only had a split second to yell Enervate in Granger's general direction before having to return to defend his own life.

Hermione opened her eyes and closed them back. It was all so bright. The fire. The spiders!

She got up, her knees trembling.

"You alive?"

She looked up and saw Malfoy at the edge of the fire.

"What are you doing here?"

"Come on Granger, we have to leave!"

"Oh, ok," she put out the fire enough to let him come through. When he did, she grabbed his arm and Apparated them both.

The Three Broomsticks appeared in front of them. Hermione was still holding onto his arm, her breathing fast, and her knees weak. She did not seem to be getting enough air.

She did not have enough force anymore to keep herself standing so she collapsed on the wet pavement.

"Granger," Malfoy said annoyed.

Her vision was getting blurry and she did not hear much more after that. She seemed to remember Malfoy dragging her into the Tavern. She did not know how he managed to get her up the stairs, but the next thing she knew was that she was lying on a couch. She briefly opened her eyes.

It was the room they would have meetings in.

"Did it manage to bite you?"

"No, I don't think so," Hermione murmured.

"Granger, did it bite you? I need to know, the Acromantula's bite is deadly. Tell me."

But she did not say a word. Her eyes just closed and Draco was left shaking her by the shoulders in a panic he did not understand. It made him numb. He sent a Patronus to McGonagall, thinking about what he needed as the words were already coming out of his mouth.

He needed to find the bite.

He took off her cloak started to inspect her with trembling hands. He was deliberately ignoring the softness of her skin and body and the smell of her flesh. He was deliberately ignoring all of the instinct he was feeling again for the second time in a night and just focusing on finding anything remotely similar to a wound.

When he found it, he stopped. The spider had not had any time to rip the flesh off of her, but he had had the time to bite so deep he could see bone.

No time at all had passed since he had sent the Patronus that Madame Pompfrey and the Headmistress barged through the door and launched themselves on Hermione.

"Where's the wound?"

"Leg."

Draco was pushed aside as one of them was working over the wound and the other was forcing potions through Hermione's mouth.

"She's not drinking," cried McGonagall.

"Let me," said Draco and grabbed the potions from her and took a long gulp from it.

He lowered himself and pressed his lips to hers opening her mouth and allowing the potion to flow from his to hers.

"Did she drink it?" asked McGonagall.

"She did," he answered, cleaning the edges of his mouth with his cloak, his eyes fixed on the unconscious girl.

He left soon after stepping outside the Tavern, breathing in the air of the night and feeling realization wash over him. He was attracted to Granger.

He knew that this kind of thing would run its natural course and leave without harm or mark behind, but he had to avoid any reminder of it.

"Mr Malfoy."

He turned towards Madame Pompfrey who was holding the door of the Three Broomstiks open.

"The headmistress and I will be going to prepare the transportation of Miss Granger back to the castle, I have to ask you to stay with her in the mean time."

He took a deep breath. "Sure," he said. It seemed that forgetting what he had just learned was going to be harder than he thought.

As he was sitting on the chair by the sofa, he forced himself not to look at her. He had a very bad feeling in regards to what he was feeling. But he had to let it all go.

She was not someone for something like him.

He almost laughed. Something. Didn't he mean someone?

No, something was a more appropriate term. He was a Werewolf, ex-Deatheater and a coward. Along with a long list of negative attributes that made him deserve the self-given title.

She, well, she was the opposite of him in any way conceivable way, better and good.

"You're going to ruin me," he said looking at her face prettily circled with chaotic curls.

When McGonagall came back, she had Potter with her. They transported Hermione to Hogwarts and Draco went his way once into the castle's entry, heading for the dungeons, and craving the sweet and desired temporary death of sleep. He just wished it wasn't temporary.

"Malfoy," called Potter's voice behind him.

He wanted to roll his eyes but didn't. He was not sleeping that night apparently.

"I need to ask you some questions about Perry."

He took a deep breath.

"Now?"

"No, it doesn't have to be now."

"Good," said Draco. "Sorry Potter, had a long night."

"I understand. Don't you want to know what I have to ask you?"  
"I'll find out tomorrow, won't I?"

"I guess," said Harry, trying to read the other's face. When he could not, he gave up. "Thank you for saving Hermione's life."

"You're welcome," said Draco smirking.

Harry smiled back and Draco left.

No trace was left of the thoughts that had driven him to the Forbidden Forest.


	10. Chapter 10

The next Morning, Draco went to breakfast and asked Madame Pompfrey if Hermione had woken up.

When the Mediwitch shook her head, instead of taking his place at the table, he crossed the hall in a flare of robes and headed in the direction of her chambers.

When he got there he hesitated a second in front of the door. She was going to be fine, what was he doing there?

His hand turned the doorknob on its own.

His blood froze in his veins when he saw Weasley sitting at her feet on the bed.

"What are you doing here?"

Ron turned towards him, surprised. When he saw it was Malfoy, his expression shifted to anger and disgust.

"I could ask you the same question, Malfoy."

"You are not welcome here."

"You're not in the place to decide."

"Leave, Weasley, you are no one to her."

"And you are?" asked Ron sarcastically standing from the bed nonetheless.

Draco fixed him with a glance. But before he could say anything a voice spoke from behind him.

"Leave, Ron."

Draco turned and saw it was Harry.

"You are the last person on this earth she'd like to have near right now."  
The read-head hesitated, but ultimately left, bumping into Draco's shoulder as he did. He smirked and went over to Granger's bed and checked the potions that were on her bedside table.

"It is just me or does she always have a potion on her bedside lately?" asked Draco, studying the liquids.

"She does. It seems that all the bad in the world in following her," said Harry sitting where Ron had. "McGonagall wants to hear you part of the story."

"Bet she does," murmured Draco, placing the phial back down.

"Do you have time, Malfoy?"

"Yes, I have about half an hour. What did you want to know?"

Harry took a deep breath. "I have reason to believe that Perry knows who's the attacker."

"What? How?"

"I can't tell you yet, but I needed to ask you, did she ever mention Faris Shafiq to you?"

The name did not ring a bell.

"No, I have only herd of the name," he answered.

"Yeah, you might've, they're Pureblood."

Draco nodded.

"What does she have to do with it."

Harry ignored his question. "Did she ever tell you why she moved to Paris?"

"She said she had always wanted to, it was one of her dreams growing up, and she took the first opportunity she saw."

Harry nodded. Sounded reasonable.

"Did you, while you were…ehm, together-

"You a thirteen year old girl now, Potter?"

"Screw you," he said. "Did she even mention any of her past relationships."

Draco shook his head. "She said she had someone during the last years of Hogwarts but never mentioned a name."

Harry nodded and thought for a couple of minutes.  
"Is it Shafiq? The one who did it?"

"No," said Harry. "I have to go."

"What? You can't tell me more?"

But Harry was already too far to hear what Draco said, obviously too busy with whatever revelation he just had.

Draco did not linger long in Hermione's room. Just long enough to let his thoughts escape his own control. He left the room angry, with himself, with her, and with the world.

He tried to resist the urge to go visit her that night as well. So he did. He entered her room which was covered in darkness. The elves were yet to pass to light the fires.

He moved through the shadows with ease and put some longs into the fireplace and set them on fire.

When he saw the fire take a healthy burn he turned to look at her.

She was still asleep, unmoved. Almost dead.

He stood by her bed watching her chest rise and fall slightly. "How is it that you always end up in trouble, Granger?"

He took the chair from the desk and put it by her bed.

"Hope you don't mind me joining you."

He watched her unconscious face for a while studying to see any response. None was there.

"I also hope you didn't mind me and Potter chasing your ex-boyfriend out of the room. But even if you still have feelings for him, it would be rather unpleasant, I imagine, seeing him."

He let out a laugh along with a long breath and tore his gaze from her.

"He just doesn't seem to be able to leave you alone." He waited a second and whispered more to himself than to her. "And neither can I."

He got up, put the chair back in his place and left.

The next day, when he entered the Hall, he asked Madame Pompfrey the same question.

"She will need more time, Mr Malfoy," she said sadly.

He did not stay for breakfast.

He met Potter this time, in her bedroom.

"You will not tell me anything, will you?"

"About the case? Nope." Harry put a bouquet of flowers on her desk and scribbled a note for the eves to put it in a vase.

"How come you come and visit her so often, Malfoy."

Draco did not look at him not at Hermione while he answered. "I told her to go in the direction she did, I feel responsible."

"It was not your fault."

"Well, if she's going to die…"

"It is not your fault. It was about time the Ministry did something about the Acromantula, they are far too close to Hogwarts."

"Are they going to do something?"

"They will be," said Harry. "As soon as Hermione gets better."

Draco nodded. "Isn't it weird though?"

"What is?"

"The Acromantulas stick to their territory, that much I know. They were not supposed to be where they were."

Harry nodded. "Maybe they were just hunting and she was the easiest prey they could find."

"Easy prey?" Draco laughed. "Granger's nowhere near being an easy prey."

Harry smiled. She really wasn't, he thought. Without a word he took off.

"You're going? Again?"

"I need to do something."

Draco rolled his eyes. He took the chair from the desk and sat where he did the night before. This time, however he said nothing.

This was no simple infatuation that was going to fade with time. He cared for her well-being. He swore out loud and placed his head into the palm of his hands. She must never know. She must never suspect. He had to stop coming here. He had to stop thinking.

The only time he had felt something akin to what he was feeling, he had ended up beaten, bitten and imprisoned. He had to stop. It all had to stop before he couldn't control it.

A week passed, and Hermione did not wake up.

Draco had not gone to visit her.

There was a meeting at the Three Broomsticks, that night, and Draco wondered if he should go at all.

But he did.

He wanted to know what was being done to her, and if there was anything that could've been done.

They talked about the attacked Muggles and he found that he had no interest in listening. He still brewed the potion, he still took care of what he had to do, but he no longer had any interest in those people.

Harry had told them about his progress and how he still did not know the motif. He went on to explain his discoveries, but Draco's mind wandered somewhere else.

"The spiders did not attack randomly," said Harry. And he brought his attention on him once again.

"What?" he asked.

"Someone made them."

"Who?" asked Neville.

"My guess? The same person who can burn people alive but not kill them. They will not tell us who it is."

"But, why target Hermione?" Neville asked astonished.

"I'm still working that out," said Harry.

They talked about how the Caliph had sent what translations he had of the hieroglyphs in the tomb and how they did not match what Hermione had managed to translate. Draco stood up, and left the room.

He had to do two things now. First, he had to find a cure for a Acromantula bite. Second, he had to find who made the spiders attack her.


	11. Chapter 11

Knockturn Alley was a place he never liked. Before, for the inferiority of its residents and visitors. Now, for the sheer darkness and unpleasantness that place reeked.

But you belong here, a voice told him.

He shook the thought from his head. His only remaining contact was a merchant that sold fake potions and fake artifacts to the gullible who came here looking for something regular magic could not give them. But he also knew every supplier that came to Diagon Alley, which made him a good source of information.

Draco looked with a little repulsion at the greasy hair and dirty hands.

"What you need I don't have, Mr Malfoy," Greggory Knabbs said, pronunciating his name with care.

"I know," said Draco with ease. "But you know who does."

"I might, Mr. Malfoy, but you might've forgotten that information does not come cheap."

"And you must've forgotten who I am."

The old man's laugh made Draco's skin crawl. "A Malfoy with no power as I remember."

"No, Knabbs," said Draco patiently but with a sneer on his face. "I am a Werewolf."

"If you keep using that card the way your father used his name, you'll end up exactly like him," Knabbs said, irritated.

"I don't remember threatening you recently, old mad. Tell me who has it and your price."

He sneered. "In a hurry are we? Oh, well," he bent over a piece of paper and scribbled on it.

"Two Galleons," he said, folding it and sliding it on the counter but keeping it safely under his palm.

"Don't come running back to me if he doesn't have it."

Draco laughed and took the piece of paper from under the man's palm. "You know Knabbs. If he doesn't have it, you'll find me another supplier, just this time, it will either be the right one, or you'll know what it feels like to be visited by a werewolf during the night.

With that he left the shop and went in search of the man written on the piece of paper.

The seller's name was Hamas. He sat on a strangely clean carpet in an incove between buildings. He was dressed colourfully, with orange trousers and a violet camisole under a dark green cloak. He had his eyes closed and his hands were resting between his crossed legs. The only thing he did was ask Draco what he was looking for and his name.

Draco gave him a fake name.

The man opened his eyes, revealing white eyes that stared into the void.

"Your real name, werewolf."

Draco hesitated before finally giving his name away.

"I will contact you once I have it. Know that if I don't find it in the next three days, find yourself another seller."

Draco said nothing and left.

* * *

Parry knew she had to do something. She had hoped it would all come to an end without her having to intervene, but he was not going to stop. He was going to hurt Ron or his family too. Or both.

For the first time ever, she did not want to hide and ignore everything. She looked the Ron's sleeping face and smiled. He had brought her so much happiness. He had made her feel like home, and he had given up everything to be with her. His friends, some of his family… She got up from under the covers and got dressed.

She had to find him and put a stop to it, before it was too late.

* * *

Draco entered the castle in time to see McGonagall run to him, evidently in a haste.

"Mr Malfoy, come with me."

Without another word she passed through the castle's doors and off to the bridge.

He followed her to the Three Broomsticks and got there a little without breath. They hustled through the crowd gathered in the Tavern and rushed up to the room.

When they entered, Malfoy saw a man with honey-coloured skin sitting on the couch and Harry was standing by the window.

"Hello," he said cheerfully, turning towards the door.

"Mr. Shafiq," said McGonagall surprised, not acknowledging the Auror.

"Hello Professor," he said looking anywhere but at her.

Harry said and went to sit down on the other end of the couch near the newcomer. "Please tell them what you told me, Faris."

Draco closed the door and went to stand by the fireplace. He knew who he was. He had seen pictures in the piles on piles of photo albums Parry kept. He was in all of the pictures she had from Hogwarts. He never asked for a name, he knew she would not have told him.

Draco remembered feeling such jealousy for this man. He looked at him now, and he felt aversion for another reason.

If he had had anything to do with what happened to Granger…

"I know why my parents and Parry's parents have been attacked," he said, shifting uncomfortably. He swallowed hard and hesitated before finally speaking again.

"While I was in Egypt, I met a man, he was our guide to the tombs. I told him some personal things the last night of the expedition."

"What things?" asked Draco ignoring a warning look from Harry. His heart was racing now.

"I told him about Perry," said Shafiq and looked up at him, looking directly into his eyes. "I told him about you."

Draco's heart began to boil. But he was willing to wait.

"He asked me if I wanted you to disappear, if I wanted her back. I said no, because it wouldn't be right. If had wanted to come back to me, she would've already done so. She just had to realize that she needed me. And that no one could take my place."

Draco let his weight rest on the mantelpiece. Faris kept quiet for a couple of minutes. "He then said that he could help me, all he wanted to know was just how much I loved Perry. I said that there would never be someone I could love more. A few weeks passed and he told me that," he looked at Draco now. "That you had been taken care of."

Draco stood straight once again. He did not notice Harry standing up as well.

"What are you saying?"

"So I asked him what did he do." Faris exhaled, his breath shaking. "He said he made you into someone that could never be loved by her again."

Draco's body moved on its own now. His fist hit Shafiq like a cannon ball. Harry pushed him against the fireplace again holding him there as McGonagall cried his name and rushed to Shafiq's aid.

Draco did not fight to get free, and Harry let him go when he didn't feel him struggle.

McGonagall admonished him but he did not hear a thing. He was still waiting for him to continue.

"I wrote to Perry about what happened. She told me never to write again. That night the man asked me if she had come around yet. I told him what Perry said. I didn't think he would do anything, I never thought he would go as far as he did."

"He thought he would punish you both, first her, than you, for not being grateful for what he did for you," said Harry, still eyeing Draco from time to time.

"What's his name?" Draco asked, his voice low.

"I know only his first name," he said trying to stop his nosebleed with the tissue McGonagall had given him. "He said it was Xenis. Now I don't know if it was even his real name."


	12. Chapter 12

Hermione looked as if she was sleeping. Her breathing was even and her eyes delicately closed.

"You have to start getting yourself hurt, Granger," said Draco placing the antidote on her bedside table. He sat down near her on the bed, careful not to disturb her too much.

"I have to get something out of my head so I can forget about it and move on. I don't think it's something you want to hear, especially from me, and I'd rather not be assaulted by you." He let out a nervous laugh. "Or ignored. The second one would be far worse, to be honest."

He took the antidote and opened the lid, studying the liquid.

"I think I am falling for you," he said with ease. His heart was beating fast and his words meant things that had never even appeared in his mind, but they were true nonetheless. He had been trying to ignore it for the last couple of days. Of course, he had accepted the fact that he cared about her and for her, but this was another level.

"Like I've never fallen before." He sighed and then inhaled deeply, trying to calm and steady himself. "You will not have to worry about me," he gazed at her unconscious face. "I just wanted to say it out loud, acknowledge it and move on. I know you will never be able to even accept being with someone like me."

He neared her and tentatively inserted a hand through the mane of hair, pushing her head up. Her lips parted on their own accord and he poured the antidote little by little, making sure she had swallowed it before pouring some more.

Once done, he let her head rest on the pillow again and left.

* * *

Hermione woke up to an empty room and dried up flowers on her desk. She pushed the covers away from her body and saw the bandages around her leg.

She tried to think about what had happened. She remembered the spiders, Draco, and the Three Broomstick. She did not remember much else.

She looked on her bedside table for her wand and saw next to it an empty phial.

Draco.

"Oh God," she said, placing a hand on her forehead.

Did she dream that? Did he really say what he did? And he told her to forget it. Should she just ignore it?

She took her wand in her hand taking a deep breath. She summoned some clothes and got dressed.

She could just forget it. But was he referring to him being a werewolf when he said that she wouldn't accept someone like him.

He must've. She had to talk to him.

Hermione walked to his classroom hoping she'd find him there. She knocked on the door after taking a deep breath.

"Yes," he answered.

Hermione opened the door an peeked inside. His brows shot up, surprised to see her appear at his door.

"You're awake. Come in, Granger," he said. "I don't bite this time of the month."

She smiled tightly at the joke and entered the room, closing the door behind her.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm ok, just disoriented and a little tired."

He nodded.

"Thank you, for saving my life," she tried.

"You would've done the same," he said smirking. "Being the noble Gryffindor that you are."

His sarcasm was harmless but she could not bring herself to smile at the joke. "I, just," she started unsure, unwilling to meet his eyes. "I heard what you told me before giving me the antidote," she rushed in one breath.

Something akin to lightning passed through him, as his heart started an irregular drummming against his ribcage.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

She looked at him. She knew this was the first card he would play. He would pretend like nothing had happened and never mention anything ever again.

"I heard you, Draco, I heard you say how..."

"It doesn't matter, forget about it."

"I can't," she let out. "I tried. Draco, I tried to forget about it. Trust me, it's not something I want to be responsible for-

"What do you mean?"

"Your heart," she said after a brief pause. "I don't want to be responsible for your heart. Please don't misunderstand me." She took a step towards him. "I can't do that."

Draco placed his palms on his desk, letting his weight rest on them.

"Then why did you come here Hermione?"

"I have come here because I want you to know and to believe, that the reason why I can't do that is not the nature of who you are."

Draco let his head down and took a deep breath.

"No need for the pity party, Granger."

"What? No, Draco-

He stood up streight and circled the desk to stand in front of her. "I cannot ask for what I know it's impossible for you to give, Granger. No need to lie about it."

"It has nothing to do with who you are!"

"No," he said in a harsh tone. "It's what I am!".

"Why do you not believe me?"

"Because you didn't even give me a chance!"

Hermione took a step back, surprised.

"You decided that you wanted to forget what I said without even giving it a second thought. And you even tried to forget it."

"Draco-

"I know you're still in love with Weasley, Granger. I know. But it would've been a better excuse than 'It's not you, it's me'"

Hermione remained quiet.

"I thought you wanted me to forget."

"I did," he said. "But I changed my mind. I'm not going to beg you for a chance to change what you feel, Granger."

"Draco," Hermione started now completely confused. "What are you saying?"

"I want you to consider what I said," he said quietly. "I don't want to forget how I feel, because I found it's impossible to get you out of my head."

He turned around, tearing his gaze away from her confused and almost hurt face.

"If at any given point in time, you'll find that you do want to give this a chance, than you know where to find me. Otherwise, please don't come here again."

Hermione opened her mouth to say something but thought against it.

At the door she turned to look at him. "I'm sorry, Draco."

He wanted to stop her and ask her what was she sorry for, but he didn't.

* * *

Thank you for reading :) I appreciate it a lot.

Please tell me what you think of the story so far, would be happy to read your opinions.

Cyther


	13. Chapter 13

Hermione was avoiding him like the plague. They had a meeting at the Three Broomsticks a couple of days after Hermione woke up and discussed what Harry had found out, as well as what Faris had told them about Xenis.

"He's a servant for the Caliph," she said. "If it's the same person."

"What? Then we can get him," said Harry. "We have to write to the Caliph and ask him."

"Don't be a fool, Harry," said Hermione. "If he gets wind that we know what he's done, he'll run and we will never be able to catch him."

"Miss Granger is right," said McGonagall standing up from her chair. "It also means that he is the reason why the translations we received and the ones we already had did not match."

"Which would make him completely able to access correspondence," finished Hermione.

"Ok, that is a good point, but that doesn't mean we have to just leave him there, free," argued Harry hotly.

"We must consider this carefully, Mr. Potter," said McGonagall with authority. "We need the man to cure the people he has cursed, do not forget that. We also need to know what does he get from all of this, considering that he letters to tell you about his victims."

"Maybe he just tried to get Perry and Shafiq's attention," suggested Hermione. "Without having to give them physical proof that it was he the one responsible."

Harry was about to argue but then a white light filled the room and a Patronus appeared. It was a Shrew.

Draco recognized the Patronus immediately. It was Perry's.

"Harry, please I need your help," Ron's voice said. Draco somehow flinched at the voice. So, Weasley's Patronus changed to mimic Perry's.

He looked at Hermione and saw the confusion on her face. Then he watched at the workings of her brain showed through creases on her forehead and a line in between her eyebrows. Her head snapped up to so that their eyes could meet.

She asked him a silent question. He knew what she was asking. She wanted to know if he recognized it and if it was, as she suspected, Perry's.

He nodded. Her face fell, the pain clear on her face.

"Perry's gone," Ron's Pantronus continued. "Please help me. I'm at my house now, please, mate, please."

Hermione laughed, but abruptly stop realizing how inappropriate it was. His house? She bought that house. It wasn't his house. It was hers.

"I better go," Harry said, grabbing his coat on the go.

* * *

Draco left after Harry and was already on his way to the castle when he heard Hermione calling after him.

He did not stop, and she caught up with him, grabbing sleeve. Draco stopped and turned half-way towards her.

"What do you want, Granger?"

She hesitated. "You said you changed your mind, about wanting me to forget."

He said nothing, his face remaining imperturbable. "And?"

"And you also said that if I wanted to give…"

"I remember what I said."

"Well," she said, taking a deep breath. "I want to give this a chance."

Draco said nothing for a moment. "You're not convincing."

"What?"

"You realized that you won't be getting Weasley back you suddenly decided to take into consideration what I told you."

"No, I-

"No? It's not what happened?"

When she remained silent, he took off towards the castle again.

"Do you want me to beg you?" she called after him.

He stopped and turned back, stopping when he was right in front of her again. "No, Granger, I don't need to be begged, I want you to do it because you want it, not because a door has closed."

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Stop apologizing to me," he said. "Convince me, if you want to."

* * *

Hermione and Ron's house had changed. He could see that some of the furniture had been moved, some things had disappeared or trasfigurated.

"Harry," said Ron in a relieved tone. "Thank you for coming mate, I'm going crazy."

"What happened?"

"I don't know," he said. "She disappeared a couple of days ago and I've been looking for her on my own, but I don't know where to find her."

Harry nodded and started looking around, analyzing as much as he could with a single glance. "Did she take anything with her?"

"No, I've checked, but she has so many clothes I can't really be sure."

Harry said nothing.

"What about her apartment? Did you check it?"

"She doesn't have it anymore," said Ron. "It was pointless for her to keep it considering she always spent time here."

Harry stopped and gave him a look. "You know this is Hermione's house, right?"

"Harry, mate, I went to talk to her about it, but she was unconscious from the Acromantula's bite and then the Ferret showed up and you…"

"I get it. Have you tried to check the Apparation, maybe she used it to leave."

"I don't know how."

Harry restrained from giving the redhead a look and took out his wand, murmuring an incantation. None.

I'll go check on the street. He stood in the middle of the sidewalk and as Muggles passed by he murmured the same incantation again.

There were traces of Apparation, but it wasn't someone he had met. Maybe some wizard Apparated there by mistake at one point or another. But something told him it wasn't the case. You couldn't even Apparate near a Wizarding Home if you didn't know what it looked like or where it was. He reentered the apartment.

Harry found Ron sitting on the stairs, his palms placed together in front of his face. His eyes shot up when he heard him come in again.

"Listen, go to you Mum's house for a couple of days, until I tell you that you can come back."

"What? No! What if she comes back and doesn't find me here?"

"I hardly think she'll be back soon, Ron," said Harry. "Listen, just do as I tell you, please."

Ron reluctantly nodded. "You can't tell me why?"

"Not yet."

Ron nodded again and summoned some of his clothe and a bag.

"Don't come here until I don't tell you to," pushed Harry.

"Fine, I won't. Will you find her?"

"I hope so."

Once Ron left Harry put traps and enchantments. If someone stepped into this apartment he would know.

* * *

Hermione sat down on her bed and took a deep breath. She had to leave Hogwarts tomorrow. It was time to go back to her normal life.

With a flick of her wand her clothes were packed and ready to be taken to her apartment. A brand new apartment she had hardly lived in. After a few knocks the door opened to reveal Ginny. She smiled at Hermione. "Hello, Mione."

"Ginny," Hermione smiled back and stood up to hug her.

"How was the Tournament?"

"We won, of course."

"Of course," Hermione rolled her eyes as if the sole thought of the Harpies not winning was preposterous.

"When did you get back?"

"This morning," she said sitting back down on the bed with Hermione. "Harry told me you were staying here."

"Yeah, have been for a while, but it's time for me to move back in my brand new apartment."

Hermione's tone told Ginny there was a lot she missed. "Want to talk about it?"

The other nodded.

"Well," started Ginny getting up from her bed. "How about we bring your things back tonight and do some decorating while you tell me all about what an asshole my brother has been."

Ginny noticed the slight flinch but ignored it. "Because as I gather, your place is still as empty as it was when you got it."

"I must've slept there like five times," Hermione admitted.

Ginny shook her head dramatically. "I've been gone for three weeks, Mione, not three years and you already can't survive without me.

Hermione laughed, but got up getting to work.

* * *

Hope you like it :)

Thank you for reading!


	14. Chapter 14

Hermione sat on the couch of her new apartment looking around as Ginny stood by the door.

It was a strange feeling, to have a place of your own. She had always shared a space with someone. Be it her parents, Ron or the other students at Hogwarts.

She stood up and moved around, studying the space as if it were someone else's. But it wasn't. It was hers.

Ginny helped her unpack her books and her clothes, and move around the furniture the apartment came with.

"You need more furniture," Ginny said pushing a chair by the fireplace, taking a step back to see if she liked how it looked and then deciding it was better placed at the dinner table where it belonged.

"I need more books," said Hermione.

She looked at the half empty shelves and thought about all the volumes she would purchase.

Ginny huffed. "And new clothes."

"And Muggle books."

"And some new everything."

Hermione smiled. "New everything sounds good."

* * *

Ginny went home late that night, and Hermione looked around again assessing the changes.

She thought about Draco, and how stupid she had been. She did not understand a word of what he said when he went to him after waking up. She did understand his reasoning after the meeting at the Three Broomsticks. Why did she do that? Hadn't the humiliation suffered by the hand of others enough? What was happening to her?

Hermione hugged her legs to her chest and tears started pouring.

All this time she had hoped that Ron still loved her. She hoped that even though he…she hoped that loving one another would be enough for them to work things out in the end. She had hoped…she had hoped for something even she refused.

She had told him they were done, and still thought that they'd work things out.

Hermione laughed as tears burned her cheeks. How stupid she was. What was she expecting? For him to wait around until she changed her mind?

He fell in love with someone else. Someone who made him happy, and she had nothing to hope for anymore.

* * *

The traps Harry had put on Hermione's house were unmoved for the next couple of days. There was no magical movement that could be detected. He thought of course that maybe Perry had stopped using magic altogether as to not be detected, but he doubted that. If Perry knew Xenis there would've been no way for her to reach him without magic. He checked with the muggle police for her name but came out empty. She did not take a flight anywhere.

An obvious solution seemed to be right in front of him. If Xenis had been the one to convince the spiders to attack Hermione, he was here. If Xenis had been the one to attack those people, he was here. He had to find Perry, if he found her she would lead him directly to Xenis.

* * *

The next day, when Hermione went back to work, the only thing preoccupied her was the search of anything in the immense library of records and books at Gringotts, that could help her crack the inscriptions in the Iranian tomb.

She went through the records first as she did not remember finding anything among the tomes and the rolls of parchments when she researched the curse.

Every expedition was categorized by country and then by the site and by year. While the records up until 1845 were precise and accurately categorized, the ones that were made in the years after that, were sometimes scares and unsatisfactory, registering only at the booty brought back and the location of the sites.

Sometimes just of the gain the expedition brought back to the bank.

She hated goblins. She hated them with all her heart and while her experience with the bank had brought her a lot of knowledge and satisfied a lot of her curiosities, she hated being amongst them.

It was the end of the day when she stumbled across what seemed to be an Iranian expedition. It was an expedition during the 1970s, while the monarchy was still in power. She heard the soft ring that announced closing hour and stopped. There was a time when she ignored the sound. She grabbed the report, and left along with all the other curse-breakers.

When she entered her house she found Draco comfortably lying on her sofa, his cloak resting on one of the dining room chairs.

"Draco," she said in a feint breath. The last thing she needed for him to come and remind her of the outwardly exchanges they had had in the past couple of days.

He sat up and found her standing at her own door, looking like she entered the wrong apartment. "Welcome home, Granger."

"What are you doing here?" She tossed the report on the dining room table and the cloak next to his on the chair.

"I have come to apologise."

"For what?"

"Don't know really," he said. "I guess for confusing you and for making you think that I'll go along with being the rebound."

"I didn't…" She stopped when she saw the look on his face. "I'm sorry."

He nodded slightly, and stood up.

"How did you know where I lived?"

"Ginny," he said, moving towards the dining room table.

"You're leaving?"

"Want me to stay?"

"No," she hurried to say. "I mean-

"What do you have there?" he said pointing to the file on the table.

"It's a report I found at Gringotts, about an expedition to Iran a long time ago. I doubt there's anything that will help us but I did not have time to see what's in it at work."

"You mean you could've stayed overtime but didn't?" Draco feigned astonishment.

"Shut up," she said under her breath, smiling.

Draco opened the folder. "Anything you recognize?"

Hermione moved to the table and his first impulse was to move away to make room for her but as she place her hand on the table and started looking through the drawings and pictures, he did the same.

"They are the exact same inscriptions," she said. "But the tomb's different."

"There are two?"

"Apparently," she said, flicking through the pages. "This was on an island, Kish. The Caliphate is near Teheran."

The Floo activated and they both turned.

Harry emerged from the fireplace looking like he hadn't slept in weeks.

"Malfoy," he said surprised.

"Potter," answered Draco.

"Good thing you're here, I have a question to ask you."

Harry went and hugged Hermione and asked her if she was ok. She nodded and smiled a little.

"Where would Perry go if she felt unsafe?"

Draco noticed the change in Hermione's expression but focused on Harry. "I don't know, she visited her parents often, but never for longer than a day."

Harry swore under his breath. He started again towards the fireplace, grabbing floo powder as he went and not hearing Hermione's questions nor his name being called. He disappeared in green flames.

"I hate the way he is lately," said Hermione moving to get the information and transcriptions she had up until that point.

Draco was still staring at the fireplace. "Tell me about it," he murmured.

"See you, Granger," he said.

"Draco," she started saying and unlike Harry, he stopped.

"Would you like me to come help you brew, the next full moon?"

Draco turned and nodded. "I'll let you know if it will be necessary."

He grabbed some floo powder and in that moment from the fireplace, emerged Ron.


	15. Chapter 15

Ron looked at Draco, who was standing right in front of him petrified from surprise.

Draco dropped the powder on the floor and keeping his eyes on Weasley took a couple of steps back until he was closer to Hermione than to him.

"What are you doing here?" asked Hermione nearing the fireplace. Ron was still standing at the edge of it, his eyes darting back and forth from Hermione to Malfoy, confusion now clear on his face.

"How did you find where I was, Ron?"

"I fallowed Harry," he answered, in a feeble voice, his eyes still darting from one to the other almost like following a tennis match.

A brief pause followed. "What are you doing here Weasel?"

Ron's face twisted in disgust. "I can't believe you," he said, his gaze finally stopping on Hermione. "You and Malfoy?"

Draco turned to look at her face. Her expression was set to a neutral one and it did not change.

"Good thing you're here actually," she said. "I want you to move out of my apartment."

He looked surprised and hurt.

"You're kicking me out?"

"Yes Ron, I am," she moved in between him and Draco. "I want you to leave the house I bought and take all that belongs to you along."

"I can't."

"Excuse me?"

"Perry will come back to that house at some point, when she does, we'll leave, but I can't do it now."

"What?" interjected Draco. "What do you mean come back?"

Hermione looked at Draco confused and a little hurt by his interruption and a little hurt.

"She disappeared, didn't she?"

Ron nodded.

Draco turned to Hermione and saw the realization on her face. "So that's why…"

So that was why Ron had sent the Patronus to Harry, that was why Harry asked Draco about where could Perry have gone.

"But why are you here?" pressed Hermione, crossing her arms.

"I wanted to apologise."

Hermione blinked once, then again, and then twice. She took a deep breath. "Leave, Ron," she said. "And don't come here again, please."

Ron nodded once, and stepped back into the fireplace, Disapparating away.

* * *

There was a moment of silence as Hermione stumbled back to sit on the sofa.

"Are you alright?"

Hermione looked up to Draco and nodded.

He got on his knees in front of her and automatically placed a palm on her cheek.

As soon as he did he realized what he had just done. He waited for her to push his hand away. She didn't. She looked at him taken aback. After the first moment of shock she leaned into his hand.

"I have to go," he said quietly, but not making a single movement to do so.

She just kept looking at him, afraid that he'd actually leave.

Draco let his hand fall to her neck, where her pulse drummed lightly against his palm.

"Say you don't want me to," he whispered.

Her heartbeat quickened and she let a breath escape her. "Stay."

* * *

Draco looked over at her and smiled.

She shifted in her sleep, turning and uncovering her leg, and torso. He watched how the sunlight hit her skin and how the light unveiled colors in her hair that he had not yet seen.

She shifted again turning on her belly and uncovering every part of her back and legs.

She moaned in her sleep from the light. She would wake up any minute now. He was afraid of this moment. The moment where she would realize what mistake she had made, and how much she regretted it and that he would never see her again. So he pretended to be asleep. Giving her an opportunity to go without a word to him, and spare himself from hearing the words she would inevitably say.

He listened closely to her body shifting under the covers, to her breathing and to her yawn. He felt her weight shift as she turned on her back and sat up.

There was then, a moment of stillness.

He wanted to reach over and touch her, maybe to ask her to stay. He didn't dare.

She dragged the covers from underneath him, a little violently, and returned under them, sighing.

Draco waited for what he thought inevitable.

She did not leave. He kept his eyes closed waiting to hear the door shut. She rested her head on his arm. He risked taking a peek and saw that she was resting on her side, face turned away from him. He smiled and turned to fit her back, exhaling as if a weight had been lifted from his chest.

"Good Morning, Draco."

"Good Morning, Hermione," he answered and pressed her against him tightly, circling her with his arms like a boa.

Hermione did not protest. She relaxed into his embrace and closed her eyes, enjoying how his skin felt against hers.

"I have questions," she said.

Draco laughed. "Of course you do."

She turned into his arms to look at him covering herself as she did. He abstained from commenting that there was no part of her that he did not see, or touch. And as these thoughts came to mind, he slipped his hand under the cover and rested his palm on her back.

"You don't?"

"They can wait."

"What questions do you have?"

Draco kissed her cheeks slowly and deliberately. Her eyes fell shut and her breathing evened.

"I thought you'd leave as soon as you woke up."

Hermione looked at him and waited for him to continue.

"I am not going to lie to you Hermione, this meat to me more than it probably did to you. And I am ok with it. The simple fact that you did not leave as soon as you got the chance is one hell of a surprise."

"Draco," Hermione started, her voice unsure.

"It's ok," he said, tightening his arms around her. "I know you are not ready. I know, but please," his voice became a whisper. "Please, please don't ignore what happened and don't treat it as if it was a mistake."

She breathed in his smell and closed her eyes.

"I don't think this was a mistake, Draco. But it would be unfair to you if I told you I do not regret it."

Draco felt his chest tighten.

"It would not be fair to you if I told you I can give you what you want."

"Hermione, stop," he said. He took her chin in his hand and gently pushed her head back so he could look at her.

"I don't want more than you are ready to give. Please, believe me, I don't want more than you're ready to give me."

Hermione looked at him trying to read into his eyes.

"Can I ask something of you, though?"

"What?" she asked placing a hand on his chest.

"Two things, actually." He brought his hand from her chin down where the other was, on her back, and pushed her closer. He just needed to feel her as close as possible.

"Try," he said and brought his mouth to her neck trailing his lips up to her ear. "Give this a shot, Granger," he whispered slowly. His hand went to her leg and brought her knee up to his waist.

He kept kissing her neck and caressing her leg. She let a deep breath escape her.

"And second?"

"Second," he said working his way down to her breast.

"Tell me everything that's on your mind, always."

His lips and tongue were fogging her brain and the only thing she seemed to need right now was more of what he was giving.

"Can you do that for me, Hermione?"

He returned to look her in the eyes, touching his nose to hers.

"Yes, I can," she said, her voice low, and it sounded like the only promise he needed.

He positioned himself and pushed into her, enjoying the moan that escaped her. His fingers crawled into her hair and pulled her head back, burying his head into her neck.

Draco collapsed beside Hermione, and pulled her to him.

"What's on your mind?"

She pulled the covers on them both and sighed. "Right now? Nothing, absolutely nothing."

He smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"Why do you regret it, Hermione?"  
She turned to face him and kissed his chin before answering. "This is not the healthiest of starts, Draco."

"But it's the one we got, so we better make the most of it."

She nodded. "What if…"

"What?"

"What if I'll never be able to give you what you want?"

"Give me some credit," he said tightening his hold. "I will not just stay put and do nothing."

"What can you do, Draco?" she asked, her voice almost desperate.

"I can love you, and leave you no choice but to love me back."

"What if I don't?"

"It'll depend on if you'll still want to be with me or not, Granger," he neared his face to hers. "I can be very patient."

He kissed her until her mind was full of him.

* * *

I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS CHAPTER OMG

Hope you guys like it :)

Please feel free to leave a review, I'd appreciate it immensely.


	16. Chapter 16

Perry stood at the edge of the sidewalk, taking a deep breath in. She crossed the deserted road and took another deep breath that did not seem to ease her nerves. She knocked twice.

She waited for a moment and, thinking that maybe he wasn't home she stepped away from the door turning away, her mind rummaging for somewhere else he could be. Maybe she should've sent him an owl first.

"Perry."

She turned to find an open door and Faris on the doorstep, a surprised expression on his face.

"Hello, Faris."

"Come in," he said stepping aside.

* * *

He sat on the living room's sofa and waited as she quietly circled the space. She saw a picture of them, at Hogwarts and met his eyes.

"It's been a long time, Far, why can't you let go?"

"I have tried," he answered.

She turned to him and saw a dark circle under his left eye. "What happened to you?"

"You ex-boyfriend punched me," he answered leaning back. "It was very Muggle-like of him."

"Draco?"

"The one and only."

"You met Draco?"

"Why have you come here, Perry?"

"So you can stop this," she said. "And to tell you to leave me alone."

"Stop what, may I ask?"

"My parents are cursed because of you, Draco's cursed because of you!"

"I had nothing to do with your parents, Perry!"

"Oh, please, like you had nothing to do with Draco?"

"I didn't know!"

She huffed. "Stop this, Faris."

"Perry, listen to me," he stood up. "My parents are cursed too, I had nothing to do with this!"

"What?"

"You didn't know? I assumed your new boyfriend would've told you, being Harry Potter's best friend and all."

"Leave Ron out of this."

"Fine, but please listen to me," he exhaled. "I had nothing to do with this. Xenis must be doing this on his own."

"Why would he do that, Faris? Let's be realistic."

"I don't know," he said exasperated. "Perry, please believe, I don't know."

She said nothing and started pacing. "We have to do something."

"What? Do something?"

"Yes, this has to stop. I want my parents back, Faris."

"What can you do, Perry? Let Harry Potter take care of it."

"Faris, you might be the only person who can talk the man out of this."

"Perry I can't do anything! Why can't you understand?" he shouted exasperated.

She did not say anything for a moment. "I have to do something, Faris. Do you know how he can be contacted?"

"And what are you going to do? Talk him out of hurting people? Wake up Perry, this is reality, not your dreamland."

"I have to do something," she insisted quietly, when he said nothing, she showed herself out.

She was already two blocks away when he caught up with her.

"Perry, here," he said handing her a piece of parchment. "This merchant in Knockturn Alley can help you, but please, please don't go alone."

"Thank you, Faris," she just answered, giving him a cold look that sent a sting of pain through his chest.

After all that time, he still loved her. And as he watched her leave, he wished he could make sure she was safe.

* * *

On her first day back at work, Hermione found that the previous zeal and dedication she had before being sent to Iran was gone. It took all morning to write her report on Iran. She still had a lot of work to catch up on but all she seemed to think about was him.

Nothing in particular. Just how free she felt. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she was not a prisoner of what Ron had done to her. She felt happy. And she wanted to enjoy every minute of it.

She spent the day organizing her work and putting it off for tomorrow. When six o'clock came, she grabbed her coat and left her cubicle without thinking twice. Draco said he would come by after his last class.

She was almost at the door, when a voice behind her croaked, "Miss Granger."

Ragnok. He was waiting for her to approach him, his hands behind his back, his black eyes fixed on her from under bushy red eyebrows.

"Yes?" she asked, her tone respectful.

"The Bank does not consider your mission in Iran complete."

* * *

Draco had to go to Hogsmeade to Apparate. He realized soon enough that he should've used one of the Floos, because at the Village's entrance he met McGonagall with Potter.

"Mr. Malfoy, such good timing.".

He exchanged a curt nod with the Auror and gave the Headmistress a confused look. "We have a meeting?"

"Hermione's waiting for us at the Three Broomsticks."

Draco could not help the way his heart started beating, or the relief he felt when her expression relaxed the moment their eyes met.

"You ruined my plans, Granger," he said.

She rolled her eyes.

"What happened, Miss Granger," interjected McGonagall sitting down.

"Gringotts is sending me to Iran again."

Draco wanted to laugh. Was Hermione cursed to die? "When?" he asked instead.

She looked at him with almost an apologetic look. "In two days."

"That's perfect!" said Harry. "We now have a reason to go there."

"It puts her in a great deal of danger, Potter," e intervened. "It's better if he doesn't suspect that we know."

"I agree," nodded McGonagall. "We have to be careful. Also, you Mr. Potter, have no Jurisdiction there. We need the Caliph on our side."

"Not to mention the International disaster that would happen."

"Do you guys have a better plan? He'll be putting Hermione in even more danger just by being near her. Let's not forget that he had the Acromatula's attack her."

"Harry, we need to find a way to cure the curse before we can get to him. Do you really think he'll give in easily?" Hermione was almost pleading.

"He'll give us the cure once we have him!"

"Miss Granger is right," said McGonagall. "He is capable of anything. He will not give us what we want lightly, and there is no point in taking uncalculated risks at this point."

"So your plan is to go there and pretend like you know nothing, Hermione?"

"Yes, Harry," she said with conviction. "I will do everything in my power to find the curse, I will talk with the Caliph and present him with all the proof we have. We have to do this properly, Harry."

"You'll be in danger, Hermione."

"I will be safe. He will not dare do anything under the Caliph's nose."

"As professor McGonagall said, Granger, he really is capable of anything. We can't just let you go there unprotected," said Draco fixing her with a gaze that did not leave any room for any retort.

They agreed to meet the next day and find a solution as to how or who should go with her to Iran. Hermione tried to argue that if it came to a confrontation no one could stand a chance. But no one seemed to listen to her.

* * *

When she entered her apartment through the fireplace later that evening Draco was right behind her. She stopped in front of her couch and threw her cloak on it. She saw Draco's join hers and the next thing she felt were his arms circle her.

"I'll find a way to keep you safe, Hermione. I promise."

They said very little after that. He held her like he was never going to let go, and she never felt better in someone's embrace before.

* * *

I wish I was as good as at writing as I am at procrastinating.

Hope you like it :)


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER XVII

Draco woke up as if in a blink of an eye. They had gone to sleep fully clothed, and now the awakening felt a little groggy. Yet, he did not want to go back to sleep. It was very early in the morning, and everything was regaining colour and shape, darkness dissipating to make way for the new day. Hermione's departure was planned for the next day. It was too soon. He needed more time. He needed to find a way to keep her safe as long as she was away from him. Draco looked at her and thought how unbelievable this was. Hermione Granger was all his to touch, to kiss and to hold. Well, he thought, not completely his yet. It made his blood boil to know that she still nurtured love for another man. Did she have the same feelings towards him? Did she think she was a rebound? The sole idea seemed ridiculous; almost as ridiculous as the idea of him and Hermione Granger together.

She started to shift and slowly opened her eyes to peak at him. He smiled and took her into his arms.

"Good Morning, Hermione."

"Good Morning, Draco."

"Do you have to go to work today?"

"No," she answered. "They thought I might need to prepare more this time. Do you have classes?"

"In the afternoon," he whispered bringing her as close as possible and slipping a hand underneath her shirt.

She smiled and let him have his way. Savouring each kiss like it was the last. Hermione knew it could be. She was aware how close to death she had gotten in recent times. And that this was no different. Her chest clenched and she turned away from Draco's lips. She needed air.

"Hermione?" He started to retreat but her arms held him where he was.

"I'm sorry," she said and kept breathing. "It's just," she hesitated. "I might never see you again. And it made me realize how stupid I've been."

"What do you mean?"

Draco's heartbeat rose. He could almost taste the rejection and made another move to retreat. She did not stop him this time.

"I know this is not yet a thing." The words were already out before she could stop them. "I don't want you to think that I'm using you to get rid of what I felt for Ron."

He couldn't help but smile. He resumed his previous position, kissing her slowly as he entangled his fingers into her hair. He rested his forehead on hers and breathed in, trying to calm down his heart.

"I don't want you to think I'm using you either."

* * *

Perry walked up to the merchant, almost afraid to disturb him. She thought how they kind of matched among the sea of dark, dirty cloaks with their colourful ones. He looked pristine, like a saviour in a nightmare, calm and serene, his eyes closed. She thought how ridiculous it was. He was sitting on the pavement between the buildings of Knockturn Alley, and yet he managed to look untouched.

"How can I help you?"

His voice made her jump. He hadn't opened his yes. "I-I'm looking for someone."

"Aren't we all?"

"His name is Xenis," she continued. "A friend told me that you might know where to find him."

"Your friend was wrong."

Perry's heart dropped. "Do you know how I can contact him?"

"No," he answered. "Have you tried an owl?"

"Please," she pleaded.

The man seemed to hesitate. "What is your name?"

"Perry," she said.

"Perry what?"

"Perry Watson."

"Just a part of the person's name is too little information for me to do my job," he said. "Do you know anything else about this Xenis?"

"He a very bad person," she said.

The merchant laughed. "We all are at certain points in our life. What more do you know about this person?"

"He used to work as a guide for Gringotts in Egypt."

"That's better." He opened his eyes. "I will send you an owl when I know more."

She waited for a second, before realizing he had dismissed her.

* * *

The foam hid her forms up to the neck. She was looking up at him, her eyes fixed on his. Draco was feeling self-conscious. Not because of modesty or insecurity in his own body per say. It was the scars he bore on his chest, arms and stomach that made his a little reluctant. She saw them before, but he doubted she had truly noticed them. He decided to get it over with, and shed the last bit of clothing, getting into the bath as she made space for him.

Hermione rested her head on his chest and after a moment turned carefully to face him.

"Where did you get all these scars?"

"The French community is not very tolerant towards Lycanthropy."

"What happened?"

"You want to know how I became what I am?"

"If you wish to tell me, yes."

"You're probably thinking that the Werewolf that turned me was a blood-thirsty animal like Greyback."

She nodded.

"He was more like your Lupin. I am not sure why he did it, but one night as I was walking home he attacked, bit and left."

"What do you mean why?"

He hesitated, looking at her. "I'm actually not sure if I should tell you," he thought about it for a moment. She was waiting patiently.

"You know that Xenis did something for Shafiq's sake and possibly, because of his ingratitude, Xenis is now targeting the people closest to Perry and him."

Hermione nodded.

"Well, he was the one responsible for arranging my change of nature."

"What?" Her voice rose over the quiet tone they were speaking in until that moment. "Why?"

"He thought that by making me into something undeserving of love she would leave me."

"And she did."

"Yes, but she did not go back to Shafiq, which was the point from the beginning."

"Did you talk to her afterwards?"

"She left after she made sure that I would live, after she explained to me that she could not be around someone who could kill her every full moon."

Hermione said nothing.

"I'm sorry, I won't mention her again."

She smiled. "Thank you."

"My pleasure."

"You didn't answer my question. Where did you get the scars?" She traced them with her fingers studying them.

"In prison," he answered. "The guards thought it was funny."

Hermione started kissing each of them. When she raised her head to look up at him, he dragged her up to kiss her, splashing water on the floor as he did.

* * *

Harry appeared in Hermione's living room looking around. He realise that she must've been at work. When he turned to Apparate back at the Ministry he heard the bedroom door open and Hermione emerged from the bedroom in a robe, with her hair wet.

"Harry?"

"We need to come up with a plan," he declared. "Hello, by the way."

She gave him a small smile. "Let me go get dressed, ok?"

"Sure."

Hermione went back into the bedroom and exhaled heavily. She turned to Draco who was putting his shirt on. Hermione cast a Muffliato.

"Harry's here if you were wondering."

He smiled and continued to get dressed. "Well I'm late," he said.

"Wait," she said confused. "You want to go out there?"

He bent his head to the side and studied her. "Are you ashamed of me Granger?"

"No!" There was no Hesitation in her voice, fact that made him smile. He neared her and gave her a short but wet kiss.

"Get dressed."

Hermione put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and before she was even done Draco had opened the door.

"Potter," he said lightly. She rushed behind him, watching him put his cloak on as he made his way to the fireplace. He looked contained and calculated, and graceful all at once.

Harry's mouth was agape as he watched Draco pause by the fireplace to fix the hem of his clock.

"Malfoy?"

The blond gave him a smirk, his eyes shining with delight. "See you tonight, please come up with a good plan for once."

He gave Hermione one last look before disappearing with a crack.

Harry's gaze went to Hermione who decided to follow Draco's lead. "So," she sat down at her dining room table. "Let's get to work."

* * *

Thank you for reading,

we're almost done.


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